Looking for new ways to protect the environment this Earth Day? With spring upon us and gardening season in full swing, one great way to support a healthy earth, body and bank account is to plant your own produce – and Epsom salt can help.

From tomatoes to peppers to fruits, harvesting your own fresh ingredients with Epsom salt is a budget friendly, sustainable, and more rewarding alternative to buying grocery store produce. Better yet- using Epsom salts over harmful pesticides and growth hormones still utilized by many commercial farms will ensure that you are protecting your body and the environment from exposure to unnatural chemicals.

Here are our top tips for growing a thriving produce garden with Epsom salts:

• Prep Before You Plant: Prior to planting your favorite fruits and vegetables, add one cup of Epsom salt over every 100 square feet of soil and mix it together. Note that if you plan to plant sage in your garden, keep this soil separate as sage is a unique plant that doesn’t experience growth benefits from magnesium and sulfur additives.
• Feed and Treat: Epsom salts are ideal secondary nutrients to fertilizers in helping plants grow more bountifully. Some growers even notice a sweeter taste to their produce when utilizing it for irrigation! For best results, here’s how you should be maintaining your favorite produce:
  • Fruits: Mix ¼ cup of Epsom salt with water per 500 sq. ft. of soil and water regularly (every 2-7 days depending on weather).
  • Peppers: Mix one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water and add to spray bottles. When you notice them bloom, spray the peppers with the solution. After ten days, spray them again!
  • Tomatoes: Every two weeks, water your plant with a mixture of one tablespoon of Epsom salt diluted in water for every foot of plant height, per plant.

This Earth Day, do yourself and the environment a favor and consider growing your own fresh ingredients this spring. Produce gardening is a healthy and rewarding hobby you will benefit from for a lifetime, and remember that Epsom salt is there when you need it to help bolster your blooms!