Not Miracle-Gro: The Gross Tomato Fertilizer That's Garden Gold

Walk through the aisles of a garden store, and you're bound to see an overwhelming number of goodies that claim to help your plants thrive. But seasoned gardeners know that sometimes the best products aren't found on the shelves. For example, this DIY fertilizer that uses a kitchen scrap will give tomatoes a major nutrient boost. Another treasure that your tomatoes will love can be gathered from your bunny's hutch — rabbit manure.

Yup, rabbit poo, also known as super fertilizer, bunny gold, or gardener's gold. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — the nutrient trifecta found in standard fertilizers that heavy-feeding tomatoes need and love. The pellets also offer calcium, which helps to prevent blossom rot in tomatoes. Compared with other animals, rabbit waste boasts four times the nutrients of horse and cow manure, and twice the amount of chicken manure. Plus, the poop is free if you own a rabbit. Otherwise, search on websites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for people looking to offload their bunny gold for a minimal fee.

The general rule is that fresh manure should be composted before being used on fruit or vegetable plants — and never in its raw form — because it can potentially carry bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella. In addition, waste from dogs, cats, pigs, and humans should never be added to a compost pile or used as a soil amendment. Rabbit manure, on the other hand, can go from the bunny hutch straight into the soil, without first being composted.

Other reasons rabbit manure hops to the top are that it comes in round pellet form, which clearly differentiates it from other animal waste often used as fertilizer. In addition, the tiny balls are dry, not messy, and nearly odorless. Plus, they are mild enough not to burn your plants, which other animal manures can do. 

In general, manure is a boon to plants by improving soil structure and promoting drainage, while slowly releasing vital nutrients into the soil. And because attracting worms to your garden is a gardener's goal, you'll be happy to know that rabbit poo creates an inviting environment for these creatures that help to build healthy garden soil. 

If you're looking to add this super fertilizer to your list of tips for a successful tomato harvest, you have several options. One method is to gently work the droppings into the soil before putting new tomato plants into the ground. You can also sprinkle the pellets around the base of the plants, ideally when the tomato seedlings are still young. Because rabbit manure is particularly high in nitrogen, you want the tomato plant to get an early growth spurt in its stems and leaves, without inhibiting its fruit production, which is a side effect of too much nitrogen. Lastly, try watering the tomato plant with a fertilizer tea, made by steeping a handful of droppings in water for a day or two.