This 'Secret Ingredient' Is a Game-Changer for Tomatoes and Peppers

If your plants are struggling to produce healthy crops, one person on Reddit just shared their secret to a thriving vegetable garden—whole fish.

The Redditor shared photos of their robust tomato and pepper plants, admiring how lush the foliage looks. "It's so green!! I have a secret ingredient under my tomato plants and some pepper plants," they wrote. In the caption, they said they put small bass and some sunfish directly into the soil during planting.

Other gardeners in the comment section said they've also had success using fish to amend their soil. "My dad used to add fish guts to our compost and vegetable beds. We only had a small garden but it produced enough for seven people to have veggies from all year. We canned beans, tomatoes, and beets, made a ton of pickles, and froze peas and corn off of that tiny plot," one person wrote.

Don't Miss

7 Ways to Use Compost for Healthier Plants, According to Experts

The Right Way to Use Coffee Grounds to Fertilize Your Lawn and Garden

In addition to the fish, the Redditor said they use horse manure from a nearby farm to enrich their garden beds. In the comment section, they noted that this is the second year they've done this and that their tomatoes "never needed any other nutrient boost throughout the season."

People also shared the types of fish they use in their own gardens, including smelt, mackerel, and trout. One person even uses their dinner leftovers of filleted tuna and yellowtail in their raised beds in addition to kelp extract, fish emulsion, zinc, and calcium.

A fellow gardener expressed interest in this method, but noted their concern about their beds smelling like fish. The original poster replied, "I haven't smelled fish once. They are buried at least 8 inches deep and this year I put A LOT under the plants and haven't smelled anything."

One downside to using fish in soil is that critters often dig up the carcasses. One person recommended blending the fish to avoid this from happening, while another said to sprinkle the ground with cayenne pepper, as the spice can deter curious animals.