06/04/2026
I don't know about you, but there are lots of coffee grounds in my house!
The water from rinsing raw rice before cooking is one of the most underrated things you can pour on your garden. It feeds soil microbes directly and provides trace minerals and B vitamins. Don't drain it — use it. 🌿
Six kitchen scraps worth keeping, and which plants benefit from each:
Coffee grounds → hydrangeas, azaleas, strawberries, tomatoes: adds nitrogen and organic matter. Mix into soil rather than piling on the surface. Particularly useful around acid-loving plants like blueberries, hydrangeas, and strawberries. Use in moderation — too much compacts and repels water.
Vegetable cooking water → tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce: the water you boiled or steamed vegetables in contains dissolved minerals that would otherwise go down the drain. Must be completely cool and unsalted before using. Salt accumulates in soil and harms plants.
Banana peels → roses, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries: high in potassium, which supports flowering and fruiting. Chop and bury near the root zone, steep in water for 48 hours for a liquid feed, or dry and grind into a powder. Most effective worked into the soil rather than left on the surface.
Rice rinse water (from uncooked rice) → basil, parsley, orchids, houseplants: the cloudy water from the first rinse of uncooked rice contains starch and trace minerals that feed beneficial soil bacteria. Use at room temperature. This is one of the gentlest plant inputs on this list — effective for seedlings and delicate houseplants.
Crushed eggshells → tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, roses: slow-release calcium that helps prevent blossom end rot in nightshade crops. Crush as finely as possible — coarsely broken shells take years to break down. Work into soil at planting time or top-dress throughout the season.
Used tea bags or loose tea leaves → ferns, orchids, basil, leafy plants: tea leaves add tannins and mild organic matter. Empty the bags directly into potting mix or compost. Works as a surface mulch for moisture retention in containers. Green tea has a milder pH effect than black tea. 🌱
Before you throw something away from the kitchen, check if a plant can use it first.
