15 Kitchen Scraps You Should Never Use as Fertilizer
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Have you ever tried to repurpose kitchen scraps as fertilizer to save some money and cut down on waste? It’s a noble pursuit, but not all kitchen waste is plant friendly. Introducing some scraps can bring diseases, attract pests, or even damage your soil and plants. Before you dump your food waste into your garden soil, think about what’s actually beneficial for your garden, and what should be thrown away.
A few kitchen scraps seem harmless but in a garden setting, they can really do more harm than good. This is a guide on what you shouldn’t throw into your compost or use as fertilizer. A little caution can prevent you from headaches and unhappy plants down the line. Let’s dig in—pun fully intended!
Citrus Peels
Oranges, lemons, and limes all have a lovely fragrance when you open the citrus in your kitchen, but their peels aren’t the best for the garden. Citrus peels are very acidic and will cause the pH of your soil to become too acidic for most plants to grow. Moreover, the potent oils in the peels have been power repellents of beneficial insects used in decomposition. If you’re tempted to use citrus in your compost, do so sparingly or better yet, don’t use it at all.
Meat Scraps
Throwing meat scraps in the soil to add some organic matter would seem like a quick way to go, but you’d be wrong. Meat decomposes slowly, and attracts pests like raccoons, rats and even neighborhood dogs. Decay process of meat can also produce an unpleasant odor and your garden goes from being a sanctuary to a stink bomb. Dispose of meat scraps elsewhere so that your garden stays safe and odor free.
Dairy Products
Dairy: cheese, milk, yogurt may be great for your bones, but not for your garden. Dairy products can spoil quickly in the soil and stink up the place and attract pests. All dairy contains a high fat content that breaks down slowly, leaving a greasy residue which destroys the natural structure of the soil. Skipping dairy in the compost will save your garden from the stink.
Oily Foods
Cooking oil, or greasy leftovers, are best left out of the garden. It coats organic matter and soil particles, so that plants can’t absorb nutrients and water. In fact, oil can actually suffocate beneficial microorganisms, disrupting the soil’s ecosystem. Instead of slathering your plants with a slick, unappetizing coating, dispose of oils properly.
Onion and Garlic Peels
Onion and garlic might help your dinner go down a little easier, but their skins need to stay out of the garden. According to ResearchGate, these scraps contain strong sulfur compounds, which sound good, but in fact can repel beneficial insects that break down compost. And the smell can linger, so you have to skip the onion and garlic skins when composting with care.
Pet Waste
Pet waste might be organic but it shouldn’t be in your compost. According to ScienceDirect, pathogens such as E. coli and parasites can be found in waste from cats, dogs and other household pets, and these aren’t safe for soil or plants. These pathogens can live in the soil and contaminate any food crops you grow. Pet waste out of your garden, and dispose of it properly.
Processed Foods
Before you toss that leftover pizza crust or cookie crumbs into your garden soil, think twice. Salt, sugars and preservatives are all not good for plants in processed foods. This is bad as these ingredients can change the soil composition and ruin delicate root systems. If you are composting, don’t use processed foods.
Bread and Grains
Bread and grains may seem harmless, but they can attract unwanted pests, such as rodents, insects or even mold, to your compost. The starchy foods break down quickly and can make a mushy mess, not great for soil structure. If you want to keep your garden critter free, don’t toss bread and pasta in the compost pile.
Egg Whites and Yolks
Raw egg whites and yolks are a different story but egg shells are great for plants because they are high in calcium. Fast decomposition and strong odor attract pests to your garden. Raw eggs can also put bacteria, like salmonella, into your soil. If you stick to crushed eggshells, leave the whites and yolks behind.
Spicy Peppers
Chili is a good kick to any meal, but a kick to your garden can be bad. Spicy peppers are made up of the compounds that irritate plant roots and disrupt beneficial insects. They may also make the soil so harsh that plants are not able to absorb nutrients into themselves. Don’t let the spice get in your salsa, and leave it out of the garden.
Tea Bags and Coffee Pods
Tea leaves and coffee grounds are usually safe, but the bags and pods aren’t. Synthetic materials or chemicals used in making many tea bags and coffee pods don’t break down well in soil. These materials can put microplastics into your garden, and they can stay in the environment and affect plant health. For a garden friendly approach, stick to loose leaves and grounds.
Bones
Calcium is good in bones, but they take forever to decompose and attract pests. Additionally, they don’t make for an appealing look in your garden or compost pile. If you’re looking to add calcium, look to eggshells instead. It’s best not to feed bones to the garbage or your compost system for animal products.
Salty Foods
Salt is more than just a flavor enhancer for our food, it wreaks havoc on soil. Foods containing a high amount of salt, like chips or salted nuts can throw off the delicate balance of nutrients in your garden. With excessive salt in the soil, plants get dehydrated and grow poorly. Salt doesn’t break down easily and your plants may be stuck with it long after the snack is gone. Don’t include salty snacks in your compost bin.
Glossy Paper and Stickers
Those little produce stickers might not seem like much, but they’re often made from plastic that won’t break down in your compost. In the same way, glossy or printed paper usually contains inks and coatings that aren’t good for soil. Chemicals from these materials can get into the ground and hurt plant health. Peel off stickers, and don’t use printed or glossy paper in the compost.
Large Seeds
Fruits like avocados or citrus have large seeds that may seem harmless, but they can sprout where they’re not wanted, or take ages to rot. They add unnecessary bulk to your compost, and they’re often too hard to break down quickly. Don’t throw these seeds in the soil, dry them for crafts or separate them.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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