Sustainability pro shares tip on using commonly discarded item to help your garden thrive: 'They'll even provide some essential nutrients'

Peanuts are not just small, protein-packed snacks that are good for your health; they can also provide unexpected benefits for your garden. 

No, you don't need to plant peanuts — all you need is the shells from ones you've already eaten. 

The scoop

In a video shared to TikTok, a Virginia-based grassroots nonprofit shared how to use peanut shells in your garden to keep your soil and plants healthy. 

@sustainabilitymattersva Stop tossing out those peanut shells🥜 Instead, crush them up and add them to your garden as an all natural fertilizer, mulch, and pest repellent! Note: Be cautious of salted nut shells as excessive sodium can burn some plants. In these instances, shells can be rinsed and dried before using (or composted) #peanut #peanuts #peanutshells #reuse #repurpose #foodwaste ♬ original sound - Sustainability Matters

A gardening pro with Sustainability Matters (@sustainabilitymattersva) urged other TikTok users to stop throwing out the shells. 

Instead, he said gardeners should crush up the shells and spread them across their gardens.

With those two simple steps, peanut shells can start acting as a natural fertilizer, mulch, and repellent for pests like slugs, he explained. "They'll even provide some essential nutrients like nitrogen and carbon once they break down, so be sure to keep these out of your trash can." 

He warned that gardeners should be wary of using salted peanut shells, which can leave extra sodium in the soil. Excessive amounts of sodium have been found to burn some plants. If all you have are salted shells, the gardening group recommends rinsing and drying the shells first. 

How it's working

A huge benefit of this gardening hack is that the peanut shells will help your soil retain moisture, slow weed growth, and regulate its temperature. Combined, these will ensure strong plant growth for flowers and vegetables. 

In 2018, researchers from Senegal and France also found direct evidence of peanut shells increasing the number of key minerals and nutrients available for such plants. 

Using organic and natural mulch and fertilizer alternatives like peanut shells is just one way to ensure a healthy garden. 

Keeping your garden strong — especially if you are growing fruits and vegetables — will go a long way toward protecting not only your health but also your pockets.

By growing your own food, you can save hundreds of dollars of produce that you'd typically buy at the grocery store every year. The Cool Down has found that a simple investment of $70 in seeds and other needs can yield around $600 worth of produce. 

As a big bonus, these fruits and vegetables will taste better, as store-bought produce tends to be sprayed with chemicals and pesticides used in mass production. Research has found that gardening can have huge benefits for your mental and physical health, lowering stress and anxiety. 

At the same time, growing your own food helps lower the demand for mass-manufactured produce that is shipped across the globe — releasing heat-trapping pollution in the process. 

What people are saying

Other TikTok users raved over the gardening hack, with one saying they regularly throw their shells in the yard. 

"W video," the user wrote. 

"Definitely gonna do this next time!" another commented.

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