4 Smart Ways to Use Lime Peels in Your Garden for Healthier Plants and Fewer Pest Problems

You’ve probably heard of gardening lime, or agricultural lime, which is a limestone soil amendment that can lower soil acidity. But it turns out regular green limes you find in the kitchen are also helpful soil amendments in the garden—especially lime peels and pulp—as long as you use them correctly.

Here’s how to effectively use lime peels to help your plants thrive, according to two gardening pros.

Lime peels can help gardeners fend off pests and enrich soil through both compost piles and mulch layers.

“Limes contain limonene, a compound in the essential oils of citrus fruit peels,” Brooke Addison, landscape designer at Lark Haven Studio, explains. “Limonene is antimicrobial, pesticidal, and herbicidal.”

In other words, limonene can also help keep unwanted critters and weeds out of the garden.

Soil Amendments in Garden Beds

Elin Harryson, a plant expert at Planta, recommends adding small amounts of chopped lime peels into garden beds or mixing it into soil.

As lime pulp and peels decompose, they add organic matter to the soil and improve soil structure, Harryson says.

However, Harryson and Addison caution that it’s important to use lime peels sparingly to prevent soil from becoming too acidic.

“Limonene can be used as a herbicide to kill plants,” Addison says. “If people use a distillation as a fertilizer or insecticide and don’t dilute it properly, they risk damaging or killing their plants.”

Make Homemade Mulch

“Finely chopped peels can be mixed with leaves, grass clippings, and other organic matter to create a natural mulch layer,” Harryson says.

Other budget-friendly things you can use to make mulch for your yard include pine needles, cardboard (with any plastic attachments or stickers removed), and wood chips leftover from tree companies.

Enrich Compost

“Lime pulp and peels can be added to compost piles, where they break down into valuable organic matter that improves soil health,” Harryson adds.

And again, gardeners should exercise caution when adding lime to their compost.

“Adding limes to your compost should be done in moderation to keep microbial death to a minimum and prevent the compost from becoming too acidic,” Addison says. “I blend my peels prior to composting them to speed up decomposition, which deactivates the limonene.”

Repel Pests

Although lime peels aren’t a full-service pest control method on their own, they act as a powerful supplemental deterrent.

“Oils in lime peels may temporarily deter certain garden pests, such as ants and other crawling insects, when fresh peels are placed around vulnerable areas,” Harryson notes.

The same goes for orange peels and lemon peels, so start using your citrus accordingly.

Cons to Using Lime Peels

Before you use lime peels in your garden, it’s important to keep potential risks in mind as well. If you’re a cat owner, make sure to keep your peels away from your pets altogether, if you use them at all.

“Limonene is highly toxic to cats, so extreme caution should be taken by pet owners who try to distill essential oils from lime peels,” Addison says.

Diluting the limonene within your peels is also essential to avoid inadvertently harming your plants, as limonene on its own is powerful.

Lime peels aren’t an all-encompassing solution to common gardening challenges, but taking the proper precautions can help you incorporate them like a pro.