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Plants require a significant amount of nutrients to grow and develop, and it's often the case that the soil falls short in providing what is necessary for ideal growth. Tomatoes, in particular, are known to be heavy feeders, which is why fertilisers are often essential.

The most effective fertilisers for tomatoes are natural products that enhance soil health by decomposing gradually. The key essential nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, commonly known as the N-P-K ratio. One key kitchen scrap that many throw away or compost has gained popularity as a garden fertiliser due to its easy availability and high potassium content - banana peels. Gardening enthusiast Caitlin, who goes by Tomato Queen Garden Tips on TikTok, has shared how she uses banana peels to grow better cherry tomatoes but says this also works on any other type of tomato plant.

The gardener captioned the video, "Easy gardening for beginners. DIY banana peel fertiliser for thriving cherry tomatoes. Start your green journey today with this simple garden hack."

Caitlin started the video off by holding a jar of banana peel water and saying, "If you want the best tomatoes, you need what's in this jar because it's going to make your tomatoes grow like crazy."

Banana water is water steeped with banana peels to create a liquid plant fertiliser. It's similar to compost tea, though without the actual compost process.

Speaking about the banana peel water, she said: "It's perfect for adding potassium to your plants and your soil."

Potassium is crucial as it supports photosynthesis, facilitates the movement of water and nutrients between cells, promotes flowering and the production of fruit, and strengthens the stem.

Additionally, banana peels are rich in other vital nutrients such as calcium, manganese, sodium, magnesium, and sulphur.

To make the banana peel water, Caitlin says to grab a large jar, fill it with water, put a banana peel in it and put it in the fridge for one week.

Once the banana peel water is made, pour the solution around the base of the tomato plant, and this will help to "get your plant thriving and producing [fruit]".

There are a few things you can use instead of banana water if you want to give your tomato plants a healthy boost. Composting your banana peels is said to have a more direct benefit for your plants than making banana water.

If you like the idea of adding liquid fertiliser to your plants, try making compost tea. It involves taking finished compost and steeping it in water to extract the compost's nutrients and microorganisms.