Save your banana peels for your plants !

[Trellum]

Just the thought of decomposing banana skins is really, really horrible - yuk, definitely better to dry them.

No, it doesn't take long to dry the skins, and this is how you do it

Place the banana skins on a wire rack or slated baking sheet, with the skin side facing down and place in the oven, either at the end of your normal cooking while the oven is cooling down or on the very lowest setting your oven will go to.

Drying time for whilst the oven is cooling is a bit erratic, as it depends a lot on how hot the oven was in he first place, and how moist the banana skins are, meaning that, it may require repeating the process a few times, in order to dry them out, as it can take anything between 2 to 6 hours.
The best and quickest method for drying the skins, is to set the oven on its lowest setting, place the rack in the oven and leave for between 45 minutes to 1 hour, with the oven door very slightly open, so that the moisture can escape. After the first half hour, it is best to keep checking every 10-15 minutes to make sure they haven't burnt
Once dried they will be pliable but crispy and can be stored and kept in an airtight container

Final tip - you may like to have the kitchen window open a touch, as they do ' whiff ' a bit whilst drying

Awesome, gata! As usual very useful info! Thanks for sharing! Dealing with "fresh" banana peels is a nightmare, but drying them sounds like an excellent option. I will definitely give it a try in the future.

 

[gata montes]

Awesome, gata! As usual very useful info! Thanks for sharing! Dealing with "fresh" banana peels is a nightmare, but drying them sounds like an excellent option. I will definitely give it a try in the future.

You're welcome and thank you - but yes drying the peels first is way better than using the peels fresh - not only for you but for the plants too and even better still - as once dried and either cut up or blended the granules store for quite some time if put in airtight container - they are always on hand and ready to use - whenever you need them

 

[Trellum]

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I'll definitely store some for more plants, can't wait to start gardening again I'll surely try this, what a great way to improve the soil!

 

[gata montes]

My pleasure - and would just add that although they are great for many purposes - as they are rich in potassium they are excellent for feeding roses with - as potassium rich fertilizers are just what roses need in order to thrive and bloom prolifically - so if you plan to grow roses in the future - don't forget to add some banana granules throughout the flowering season - as I feel more than sure that you will be rewarded with a bountiful supply of blooms

 

[IcyBC]

I save banana peels, chopped them up a bit, and just toss them into my garden. Since my neighborhood is taken over with squirrels, they often dig up the peels to eat and make a really bad mess out of my garden, plus killing my plants in the process. So my solution is to mix the bits and pieces of banana peels with used ground coffee before I dump them into the garden. The terrible smell from used ground coffee deters those varmints from invasion!

 

[sixxup]

Good idea, but do you know that you can make flour from dried banana peelings. You can then mix the flour with wheat flour when making cakes and scones or even when making bread.

 

[purplepen88]

Thanks for the great tip. In the spring before I plant my tomatoes I always save egg shells and place them in the hole where I plant my tomatoes. A friend's dad told me to do this as the plants love the calcium from the eggs shells. I will have to start using banana peels in my garden too. Thanks for the great tip.

 

[KimmyMarkks]

Wow, I am very impressed with this. I never once heard about using banana peels to help my garden. I am definitely going to try this next year. Are there are any other fruits or veggies I should be adding to my garden?

When I go updates to the Catskills we throw all our fruits and veggies into the woods. I know that it both composts and the deer like to eat it. However, with a small garden I'd only like to use the most beneficial compost materials.

 

[alexiskilgannon]

I've heard of using banana peels for plants. My grandmother collects a ton of things in her compost bin to put into the garden. She has a huge tank of random fruit and veggie peels. I never knew how she went about using it, but I always knew it was for the plants.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

This thread is interesting and I learned something new again from this forum. Now for sure I will not throw away at once those banana peels because it can be use as a fertilizer to our plants and this is really a good news!

 

[Mamasan]

It's great to remember all of the wonderful ingredients that can feed our plants; from banana peels and fur/hair, pencil shavings to egg shells and of course many veggie parts.

I've learned that plants often thrive with a varied diet, just like us. One suggestion is to make sure that your compost has no less than 5 different sources so that you can provide all of the dietary needs each plant has--and be sure to include banana peels on that list

 

[Corzhens]

Gee, this is the first time I have learned that banana peel is nutritious to the plants. We have a compost bin where all peels and vegetable cuttings go. Maybe when we harvest our plantain that is due next month, we should make a special bin for that. Our focus now is the grape vine that is just growing so it's in there that we concentrate the compost and fertilizers... all organic and no fertilizers.

 

[bigsumm22]

This is great news! I knew never this, nor read about it anywhere. I swear, bananas in general have a lot of uses, as well as their peels. Such as, cleaning with the peels too. Great to hear you can use them to nourish your plants. I am all about re-using and this is just one more thing I can add to the list! Thanks

 

[Buggs81]

I never knew that banana peelings were so nourishing to plants. I use a banana almost everyday in my smoothie and just throw it away. It is great to know that I can now use them for my plants or in my garden to help provide more nutrients. Thanks!

 

[Vinaya]

wow, this is a great idea.I never thought about using banana peel in this way. By the way, I already use banana peel and other organic waste to make compost.