Uses for Baking Soda in the Garden
We all know that Baking Soda is great for indoor use as a mild abrasive cleaner and also to neutralize those fridge odors, but what about its uses in the garden?
Baking Soda is made up entirely of sodium bicarbonate which is a highly alkaline substance making it great for the following uses in the garden:
For Bloomers
For flowers that thrive in alkaline soil like geraniums, begonias, and hydrangeas, make a solution of 1 tablespoon of Baking Soda to two quarts of water and water your flowering plants to encourage blooms.
For Fresh Flowers
Add a teaspoon of Baking Soda in a vase to keep your cut flowers fresh longer.
For Tomatoes
For sweet-tasting tomatoes, sprinkle a small amount of Baking Soda around the base of your tomato plants. It will be absorbed into the soil and will lower the soil's acidity. It will also help your tomatoes fight against black spot fungus.
For Other Veggies and Fruits
Regular applications of a 1% solution of Baking Soda to water can minimize diseases such as powdery mildew and other foliar diseases.
For Roses
Black Spot Fungus is a real problem for roses. A mixture of 4 teaspoons of Baking Soda and one gallon of water works as a natural fungicide against Black Spot Fungus.
For Powdery Mildew
For plants that suffer from Powdery Mildew, a problem gardener's face when the humidity is very high, Baking Soda can be a solution for that.
A mixture of 1 tablespoon of Baking Soda with one gallon of water, one tablespoon of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of dish liquid detergent in a garden spray weekly will help that problem.
For a Produce Wash
Just put some Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub and rinse your produce.
Cleaning Pots, Birdbaths, etc.
Just sprinkle Baking Soda on them and scrub lightly to get rid of any crusty buildup. Rinse thoroughly. It works for cleaning those dirty gardening hands, too
Killing Slugs
Pour a bit of baking soda directly on the little buggers and they'll die. Clean off the leaves thoroughly right afterward as Baking Soda can burn plant leaves.
Discouraging Other Pests
A sprinkle of Baking Soda in the garden area will discourage rabbits, ants, and roaches. For ant hills specifically, pour Baking Soda directly on the hill. Wait a half an hour or so then add some vinegar. Ants will ingest the mixture and die.
As An Organic Pesticide
For a safe spray to kill insects that are harmful to plants like aphids, mix one teaspoon of Baking Soda with one third cup oil then add that to one cup of water. Use in a garden sprayer. This will not harm beneficial insects.
As A Weed Killer
Pour Baking Soda into the cracks of your driveway where the weeds stubbornly pop up.
A Word of Warning!
Avoid spraying Baking Soda directly on flower stalks and buds. Too strong of a solution of Baking Soda can burn the leaves of plants.
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With this many uses for Baking Soda, you're sure to find a few great ways to use it in your garden.
Have You Tried Winter Sowing??
If you haven't tried winter sowing, you're in for a treat. This method is especially good for sowing herbs. Winter sowing is basically sowing seeds in the bottom of milk jugs in the winter, setting the milk jugs outside for the winter and leaving them there until the seeds germinate in the Spring.
For our article containing detailed information about Winter Sowing, click here.
To watch our 30 minute video on how to winter sow, click here.
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