K - Kitchen Scraps

K is for Kitchen Scraps.

Did you know there some of your kitchen scraps are good for your garden?  I'm not talking about composting, although the kitchen scraps in this post do make great additions to the compost bin.

I am talking about specific kitchen scraps with specific benefits.

Banana Peels:  You may know how bananas are a good source of potassium for people.  Well, the peels are high in nutrients too, especially as they decompose.  Potassium, as well as small amounts of magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus.  These are released slowly as they rot.
You can lay entire peels on top of the soil, a few inches from the plant stem.  You can put the peel in the bottom of the hole when you first plant.  Or, blend them up into a gooey mess to mix with water as a fertilizer!  Tossing them into the compost heap works too, which is what I do; it ups the potassium level in the compost.

There is a problem using banana peels as is though. Their sweetness draws insects, as anyone with an overripe banana in the fruit bowl as seen!  I've never noticed a problem in my compost heap, but it's located as far from the house possible! 

Egg Shells: Not surprisingly, eggshells contain calcium, a valuable nutrient plants depend on to form cell walls.  Tomatoes may develop blossom end rot if they don't get enough calcium.  You can dig eggshells into your soil (they may not break down enough to help that year's crops though), or compost them.  Leave them as is, or crush them.  I add them to my kitchen compost pail by just crushing them a bit in my hand. 

Tea Leaves/Bags:  Tea leaves contain tannic acid, and are naturally acidic, so only use them directly on acid lovers.  They also add nitrogen to the soil.  You can sprinkle the used leaves around plants, or compost them or the bags.  Make sure the bags are made of a recyclable material of course, and do not include those little staples!  My tea bags are tag-less, which is a big plus for me since I use a Mr. Coffee Ice Tea Maker.  Another use for tea itself is as a pre-planting soak. I add my used bags to my kitchen compost pail.  Mixed in with all the other "scraps" they don't noticeably raise the acidity of the compost. 

Coffee Grounds:  Coffee grounds are considered "green" waste in a compost heap, but unless you are regularly bringing home buckets of Starbucks trash you shouldn't have a problem!  You can dig coffee grounds into the top few inches of soil before planting, or sprinkle on the surface.  Make a liquid fertilizer by mixing coffee grounds with water, 5 gallons of water to 1/2 lb. grounds.  As you can see below, I just add them into my composting pail, which is particularly fresh and clean in this photo (no mold...)! 

Cooking Water:  Not much to show for old cooking water, as far as a photo!  Boiling food removes some of its nutrients, which are still present in the water.  So, don't pour it down the drain!  Let it cool and use it to water your plants.  Especially beneficial is water used to cook pasta, spinach, hard boiling eggs, and potatoes.  Don't use water that has been salted though. 

So, save those peelings, grounds and cooking water!  Whether you compost them, or use them as suggested, they're great food for your plants. 

K for Kitchen Scraps.   K may not smell fresh, but L will!