From The Best Banana Bread..........To The Best Banana Peel Plant Fertilizer

It's almost the July 4th holiday.......a time for the gathering of family, friends

and the table full of wonderful foods.  Especially banana pudding and banana bread.

This is one of my most requested desserts and recipes You can find it here at this link to my cooking blog   Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread with Orange Pecan Topping

But what do you do with all of those banana peels and eggs shells??

Don't throw them away! 

They are full of wonderful things to make your garden blossom in brilliant colors.

Banana Peels contain

Potassium (Contains 42% when dried)

Phosphorus

Calcium

Manganese

Sodium

Magnesium

Sulfur

All the things that make your plants happy and healthy! 

By adding a few egg shells and Epsom Salt .......

you can make a cheap and chemical free fertilizer spray.

Here is the recipe:

Banana Peel Plant Fertilizer Spray

Spray Bottle

Water

4 Banana Peels

1 tablespoon Epsom Salt

3 Egg Shells

Lay banana peels and egg shells on a tray and place them in a place where they will dry out completely.

After they are completely dry, place shells and peels into blender and pulse until they are a fine powder.

Add the shell/peel powder and the Epsom salts to a large spray bottle.

Add water to the bottle and stir or shake the contents until all is dissolved and mixed well.

Caution:

because this is a fertilizer spray,  don't use too much at one time or you could burn your plants.

Do not spray directly onto plants that are in full sunlight, spray into the soil around the plants.

As in all things, test carefully with each different plant to adjust to each individual need.

 

I found this recipe a little while back and so far my plants have been happy with it.

Best of all it is non toxic to the environment..

Stepping out into the early morning , with Sophie at my side,

the sound of chattering came once again from the back property.

where, underneath the old retired RV sits, a mother raccoon has died,

leaving behind her babies. 

 A couple of days before I had found this little fellow and spent a good bit of time trying to locate a wildlife rehabilitator.  One person told me to just let it loose in the woods............

it is such a tiny baby.......and look at those eyes...........how could I do that?

Instead, I placed him in a carrier and finally found a veterinarians office about 80 miles away who takes in all kinds of orphaned animals......including raccoons.

The first day one of the assistants me me half way and picked this small fellow up

but this morning, the office was short handed and we opted to drive these two to the shelter. 

They had gone days without being fed

and were so desperate for a feeding that they chattered and sucked on my fingers , as they rode in my lap all the way to their new home. I can understand why people want to keep these little critters as pets. They are so lovable. But it takes 12 weeks of 4 hour around the clock feedings and a year of learning from their mother before they are ready to be on their own. .

It takes a rehabilitator  this much time to get them prepared for the wild.

  But I feel so lucky to have been able to hold and cuddle such wild creatures. 

Another strange visitor that is not supposed to even live here was this squirrel. He showed up a few days ago and I hope predators do not get him. 

The animal shelter that took in the baby coons had an amazing array of different animals.

All who had been abandoned by previous owners/

There were camels

a lonesome looking monkey

very friendly doves

a beautiful white turkey

and lots of horses........

this one I would have loved to take home!

There were also large lizards, crocodiles and snakes. 

Meanwhile, inside.......baby Taboo is growing......

and longs to be able to go outside........

but for now........it is way too wild for such a small kitty.

The rains have gone and the grounds are now ready

for tilling and the introduction of new plants. 

This year, I decided to go "frugal" and I also want to experiment ......

by planting several varieties of flower seed rather than spending

$$ on nursery plants.

So far, every thing has started to sprout and I can't wait to plant them in my gardens.

The flower beds around the house and on the grounds  are full of color

from the Larkspur I planted last fall.

The vibrant and soft colors mix together and can be seen from a distance

and do so well at filling a large bed.

They are blooming everywhere. 

Some of the trees along the grounds are also showing off their colors. 

I really love container gardening and this year these Snap Dragons are vibrant.

I  purchased these last spring as a 6 pack set from a nursery. They grew and bloomed through last summer and spent this past winter in the greenhouse. And this year they are even more pretty.

Moss Rose is always plentiful here

And once again...........Mother Nature has surprised me with this wonderful flower growing wild on the grounds. 

Research let me find out that it is a Basket Flower. It is very tall......

about 3 feet high and the flowers are large and soft. 

Also growing on the grounds is what is called a Wild Orchid

and who can resist a large Dandelion? 

To go with all of Mother Nature's  blossoms .....

are her whimsical creatures........

who capture my attention and then get placed out into the prairie .........

away from my flowers. 

In the late afternoon sunset,

 the peacefulness envelopes the woods, the prairie meadow, and the grounds of the house..........

and I sit still ..........observing it all........

.in solitude and quiet............

and in awe.

By this time I am hoping to find that mud and muck have left your grounds  and hopefully blue skies and flowers blooming.