Brewing Liquid Fertilizer

Rather than bringing in commercial fertilizer, you can make your own on a weekly or monthly basis by taking certain nutrient-rich plants and brewing them into a watersoluble plant food. Making your own liquid fertilizers is another way to use and value renewable resources. Apply the fertilizers regularly to heavy feeders during the spring and summer, tapering off in the fall so that all new growth can harden off before winter. MATERIALS 55-gallon drum with lid (food grade) 5-gallon bucket (food grade) garden hose (or water from rain barrel) sharp knife or hand pruners mineral-rich plants such as chicory, comfrey, dock, dandelion, horsetail, nettles, or yarrow

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Harvest greens from garden. Cut off the leaves rather than digging up the entire plant. 2. Put the greens into the container, a little less than half full (no more than 20 gallons). 3. Use your feet or a tool to compact the greens. 4. Fill with water, and cover securely to keep out animals. The brew will start to smell strongly in a week or even sooner in warm weather. 5. Scoop out a 5-gallon buckets worth of the brew and leave the decaying plants in the large drum. You can keep topping off with new water for a week until the smell becomes too much. Put the remaining material in the compost. 6. Filter the liquid fertilizer through a paint filter and put it into a pump sprayer. 7. Foliar plant sprays are better absorbed by the leaves if they are already moist. Spray plants first with plain water. When applying the liquid fertilizer, try to cover both sides of the leaves. Liquid fertilizer does not store well, so use immediately.

Text from The Vegetable Gardeners Guide to Permaculture by Christopher Shein. Illustrations by Sonya Binnewies.