DIY Fertilizer

I have a new idea, a new experiment of sorts. Well new to me anyway - making my own fertilizer, at least my own bone meal. I have always been interested in being self sufficient and one of the best ways to do that is to use what you already have and not run to the store to buy something. I really don't like having to buy fertilizers and I have been thinking of ways to make my own.

This last year I have been on a quest to better my health and one way I have done that is by eating better. I went on the AIP diet for 5 months and it work great for me. While on this diet I ate a lot of organic chicken (still do), cooked whole bird in a crock pot. I cooked it long and slow all day. The meat was removed from the bone and the bones added back to the broth for another long slow cook. I needed the bone broth to help heal me. At the end of this long cook the bones would be soft and easily crumble. I had a thought......this could be bone meal for the garden! Something usable from something I throw away. I did a quick Google search and found someone else who was making their own bone meal so I decided to give it a try. 

I started saving all the chicken bones from my broth. I would throw them into a big ziplock bag in the freezer to save for a day when I felt like cleaning every last bit of meat off of them. Well I kept putting off that day! It would be slow tedious work! One day out at my compost pile I noticed a lot of busy ants. I wondered if they would like the job of cleaning my bones for me. I took the bones out of the freezer and poured them at the corner of the compost pile. A few days later I checked on my bones and they were clean as could be! 

Now I realized this is a rather unconventional way of doing things but it worked very well with almost no effort! I don't have to worry about dogs or animals getting to the bones while the ants are working so I am very happy with my method. 

All that's needed after the ants clean them up is to smash the bones up with a hammer. I placed them in an old kitchen towel and smashed away. I could have continued a bit longer but I think they will be fine like this. Now all I need to do is add them to my garden. Easy enough and cost me nothing.  

I'm sure there are other ways to smash or grind the bones but the hammer worked well for me. I will keep an open mind about it in case another better way turns up. I would like to be able to use all the meat bones, larger beef and pork bones I throw out, but right now I have no idea how I would grind the large ones up. I suppose they could be place whole in the garden to slowly break down.

What do you think, any ideas here? Have you used bones in the garden? Do you create your own fertilizers? 

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