We all need a bit of a pick-me-up from time to time and your vegetables, herbs, fruits and soil will also benefit from a boost of liquid tonic every now and then. Its not a good idea to force your plants to feed when they drink, so I dont recommend regular weekly feeding, but just as a boost.

We all want the best results from our efforts in the garden. Giving your veggies a liquid boost can provide them with nutrients and trace elements that are not always available to them.

Making your own liquid fertilizer is a simple task that can be done in just a few minutes. Then its just a matter of waiting for it to mature, which can take up to a month.

The basic equipment you need is a large plastic container with a tightly fitting lid. The container must never have been used for toxic chemicals.

Make different brews, depending on what youre wanting to accomplish. When it has matured, dilute to a pale yellow colour, otherwise it may be too strong. Then use as you need it.

Weeds

Often if you have a particular weed problem in your garden, it is there to help restore the balance of nutrients in the soil. If you make a liquid manure from that particular weed and use it as a foliar spray, it will often reduce the recurrence of that weed.

Also, deep-rooted weeds such as dandelion, dock, yarrow, burnet and wire-weed bring nutrients to the surface that have leached down into the sub-soil.

Nettle Tea

A brew made from stinging nettles (Urtica) will encourage growth in spring. Use gloves when pulling up the nettles. You need to fill your container with nettles and completely cover with water. Allow the mix to ferment until the nettles have completely broken down.

Fish

Place fish scraps in your container and just cover with water. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid to prevent flies getting to it (and the smell from getting to you). Let it ferment for about a month. It should be mostly decomposed by then. This brew is a rich source of trace elements, so you need to use it very diluted.

Comfrey

If you want to give your fruiting plants, such as pumpkins and tomatoes a boost, try a liquid manure made from comfrey as it is very high in potash. It will break down quickly and with very little solid residue as its leaves contain a high amount of water.

Compost

If you need a fungal preventative, make a tea from compost. The compost must have some animal manure included for this to work. Put some compost in a hessian bag and soak in water for a few days. Youll need to dilute it to the colour of weak tea, then spray on plant leaves every 10 14 days.