chuckanuttransition.com
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter sign-up
  • Sustainable Samish Garden Tour
  • Rural Rhythm Revival - Blog
  • Events & Workshops - Blog
  • Resources
    • Commercial Kitchens
    • Classifieds
    • Transition Book Store >
      • Seeds For A New Day
      • Serving The Skagit Harvest Cookbook
    • Newsletter Archive

Buttercup Liquid Fertilizer

4/16/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Buttercup creeps around my garden, crawls through my rockery and springs to life in early spring when most everything else is still sleeping underground.  This early surge potentially allows it to get a head start and an upper hand, and it is necessary to pull it out by its roots so it doesn't spring back a few days later.  Luckily, in early spring the ground is moist and with a garden fork loosening the soil it is fairly easy to harvest a bed of buttercup...
Yes, I said harvest.

Buttercup makes a beautiful liquid fertilizer and contains elements for your soil that it is deficient in: phosphorus, potassium and calcium.

Picture
Here's how:
Fill a bucket with buttercup roots and all. 
Cover with water.  Stir with stick occasionally to submerge the leaves that want to keep growing right up out of the water.  Stirring also mixes air into the brew which allows it break down more quickly.  When it is good and stinky, poor off liquid.  I use 1 part buttercup liquid fertilizer to 4 parts water.  If you plan on using a watering can you will need to further strain it through a sieve.

Buttercup Liquid Fertilizer is great for early spring crops that demands a lot of feeding like garlic, shallots, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spring greens.  Apply fertilizer once a week while plants are in full growth.

Sarai Stevens
Gathering Force Farm

2 Comments
SheilaAnn
6/5/2014 09:12:59 am

Good to know about more ways to use Buttercup besides eating roots

Reply
Sarai Stevens
6/8/2014 12:30:21 am

Living in Washington, I am referring to Ranunculus repens, or creeping buttercup, which is not edible. Here is a website with all buttercup varieties and uses. http://www.eattheweeds.com/buttercups/ The author of this article does mention you can make a tea and pour it on the ground to draw up earthworms.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Chuckanut Transition Community

    We're all rural, independent and capable people learning to live cooperatively with one another and with our natural surroundings while recreating our lost village economic network.

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Categories

    All
    Building Local Economy
    Buying Groups
    Cider Pressing
    Community Action
    Community Resilience In A Rural Area
    Conservation
    Cottage Industry
    Ending Childhood Hunger
    Food Security
    Harvest
    Local Food To Schools
    Market
    Natural World
    Natural World
    Non-gmo Project
    Rural Life
    Rural Life

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.