5 Kitchen Scraps to Plant in Your Garden, Not the Trash

Enhance your garden with these everyday items from your kitchen.

Kitchen scraps create a lot of waste , however, numerous edibles can be diverted from your garbage bin to your garden instead. "Food waste significantly contributes to climate change—we discard approximately one-third of our food globally," says Michael Karapetian, who heads the Great Global Cleanup initiative at Earthday.org. When you compost By engaging in this practice, you're benefiting the Earth as you return crucial elements such as nitrogen and carbon directly into the soil, rather than occupying landfills with waste."

At this juncture, specialists in horticulture and composting share advice on optimal food items for your garden. Whether it’s banana peels or chicken eggs’ shells, here are various culinary leftovers that can be incorporated into your cultivated areas to enhance soil quality as well as decrease refuse.

Meet Our Expert

• Michael Clarke , a horticulturist and the creator of Yardwork
• Michael Karapetian , who heads the Great Global Cleanup initiative at Earthday.org

Eggshells

Eggshells Are frequently used as an addition to gardens. "Crushing eggshells enriches the soil with calcium, which aids in plant development and prevents blossom end rot in tomatoes," explains Michael Clarke, a horticulturist and the creator of Yardwork. Incorporate eggshells into your garden by crushing them finely and scattering them across the ground. Additionally, clean eggshells can be utilized as tiny containers for planting seeds and young saplings.

Although some forms of food waste may enhance soil, not all do so. all Foods can enhance your garden. In contrast, meat and dairy items introduce detrimental bacteria into the soil and lure unwanted pests.

Citrus Peels

Citrus rinds are an additional element you can incorporate into your garden. Rinds from citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons enrich the soil with essential nutrients. As Karapetian points out, "The orange peels have high levels of nitrogen." Essentially, these peelings nourish the earth when they break down—a far superior option compared to ending up in a landfill! Moreover, the pungent-smelling skins serve as a natural barrier against prevalent garden intruders like ants and aphids.

Banana Peels

Banana peels Are yet another type of kitchen waste that enhances soil by providing vital nutrients for plant development. "Banana peels indeed have calcium, which boosts root expansion, magnesium, necessary for photosynthesis, and potassium, aiding in their vitality," Karapetian clarifies. Incorporate banana peels into your garden by chopping them up and burying them near your plants.

Vegetable Scraps

When preparing meals with veggies, consider repurposing the leftovers in your garden. As Clarke mentions, "Potato peels, carrot trimmings, cucumber skins, along with discarded bits of celery leaves, lettuce, or various herbs all make excellent additions to your garden because they decompose rapidly in compost piles and provide essential nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus." Simply create a small pit in the soil and inter the veggie remnants within it.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds Another frequent addition to your garden from everyday items includes used coffee grounds. As per Karapetian, these serve as an excellent nitrogen supply for all types of plants, whether indoors or outdoors. When using them outside, scatter spent coffee grounds around your vegetation and mix them slightly with the surrounding mulch instead of piling them up heavily. In fact, according to Karapetian, coffee grounds have nearly neutral acidity levels, making them suitable for most plant varieties; however, keep away from those preferring alkaline conditions such as certain Mediterranean herbs and use sparingly overall!

Read the initial article on Real Simple