How Do I Use Kitchen Scraps In My Backyard Farm?

“I’ve started a small backyard farm, and I was wondering how I can put my kitchen scraps to good use. I hate the idea of just throwing them away, especially since I’m trying to be more eco-friendly. I’ve heard that kitchen scraps can be beneficial for the soil and plants, but I’m not sure where to start. How do I properly use my kitchen scraps for my urban farming? Also, what do I do with scraps that shouldn’t go into the garden? I’ve noticed that some scraps seem to attract pests. Any tips on that? Thanks for your help!” Thanks, Janet, Portland, USA.

Hi Janet, it’s fantastic that you’re thinking about using kitchen scraps in your backyard farm! Not only can kitchen scraps reduce landfill waste, but they can also be a wonderful resource to improve your soil and help your plants thrive. Let’s talk about how you can use these scraps effectively and deal with any challenges that might come up along the way.

Why Use Kitchen Scraps in Your Backyard Farm?

Kitchen scraps are a simple but powerful way to enrich your backyard farm. They can increase the organic matter in your soil, providing essential nutrients for your plants. Over time, these scraps break down and improve soil health by enhancing its structure, aiding water retention, and encouraging the presence of beneficial microorganisms. Plus, you’re recycling something that would otherwise end up in the trash, making your farming efforts even more sustainable.

What Kitchen Scraps Can You Use?

Not all kitchen scraps are equal when it comes to backyard farming, so it’s good to know what can be beneficial and what might cause more harm than good. Here’s a list of common kitchen scraps that you can confidently use:

• Fruit and Vegetable Peels: These scraps break down quickly and are rich in nutrients. Banana peels, for example, contain potassium, which is excellent for flower production.
• Coffee Grounds: Rich in nitrogen, coffee grounds are particularly good for plants that prefer acidic soil like tomatoes, blueberries, and roses.
• Eggshells: Crushed eggshells add calcium to the soil, which is crucial for preventing issues like blossom end rot in tomatoes.
• Tea Leaves and Tea Bags: Similar to coffee grounds, tea leaves are a good source of nitrogen. Just be sure your tea bags are compostable.
• Herb and Spice Stems: These are fairly harmless and can decompose into nutrients beneficial to most plants.
• Nut Shells (Crushed): Nut shells break down slowly, providing a steady release of nutrients and helping to aerate your soil over time.

Special Considerations: To Cook or Not to Cook?

It’s generally better to use fresh, uncooked scraps in your garden. Cooked scraps can attract unwanted pests or may contain oils and fats that are harmful to the soil and plants. For example, cooked vegetables mixed with butter or other fats might encourage rodents or cause an imbalanced decomposition process.

How to Use Kitchen Scraps in Your Backyard Farm

There are several effective ways to use kitchen scraps in your backyard farm. Let’s explore some practical methods:

1. Direct Composting: The Easiest Way to Start

This is the most straightforward method where you directly bury the scraps in the soil near the plants. This creates a nutrient-rich environment that your plants will love.

Here’s how:

1. Dig a small trench around 6-12 inches deep near the base of your plants.
2. Add your kitchen scraps directly into the trench.
3. Cover the scraps with the soil you removed.

Keep in mind that this method works best for vegetable peels, fruit scraps, and crushed eggshells. Varieties like coffee grounds and tea leaves can also be sprinkled lightly on the soil surface without needing to be buried.

2. Traditional Composting: A Tried-and-True Method

If you have the space, a traditional compost pile or compost bin is a fantastic way to recycle your kitchen scraps. Over time, the scraps decompose into rich, dark compost that’s invaluable for your garden.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Start by choosing a spot in your yard: It should be convenient but slightly away from your house to minimize pests.
• Build or buy a compost bin: You can use wooden pallets, old plastic containers, or purchase a ready-made one.
• Add scraps in layers: Alternate green layers (like fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds) with brown layers (like leaves, cardboard, and straw) to ensure a balanced compost pile.
• Maintain moisture: Regularly check and keep it moist, but not soggy. Too dry, and it won’t decompose efficiently; too wet, and it could turn into a smelly mess.
• Turn your compost: Every few weeks, use a pitchfork or shovel to mix the pile. This aerates the compost and helps it break down faster.

This method takes longer than direct composting, but it generates a high-quality final product that improves soil structure and fertility.

3. Vermicomposting: Turning Scraps into ‘Black Gold’

If you want to take composting to the next level, vermicomposting, or worm composting, might be for you. Red wigglers, a type of earthworm, eat through organic material and produce nutrient-rich castings that plants go crazy for.

Here’s how you can set it up:

• Set Up Containers: Choose a bin with proper ventilation. You can find specially designed worm bins or create your own using plastic containers.
• Start with Bedding: This typically consists of moistened newspaper strips, coconut coir, or dead leaves.
• Add Worms: Red wigglers are the go-to choice. You can buy a batch online or from local suppliers.
• Feed the Worms: Add kitchen scraps in small amounts. Make sure to chop up larger pieces so they are easier for the worms to process.
• Harvest the Castings: After several months, you’ll have a bin full of nutrient-rich worm castings, sometimes referred to as black gold, that can be directly applied to your plants or used to make a compost ‘tea’.

Vermicomposting is particularly useful if you live in an urban area or have limited outdoor space, as it can even be done inside your home without any unpleasant odors.

4. Mulching: A Simple Addition to Your Garden

For those looking at an easier approach, certain kitchen scraps can be repurposed as mulch directly on your garden beds. A variety of organic materials such as dried coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, and thin layers of vegetable peelings can be applied directly to the soil surface as mulch.

The benefits of mulching with kitchen scraps include:

• Reducing Weed Growth: Covering bare soil with organic mulch prevents light from reaching weed seeds, thereby reducing their growth.
• Moisture Retention: Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, reducing the need for frequent watering.
• Slow Nutrient Release: As the scrap mulch decomposes, it gradually releases nutrients into the soil, feeding your plants over time.

Just remember, when using this method, avoid letting the scraps directly contact the stem and foliage of plants, as this could encourage disease. After spreading the scraps, you might want to add other mulch materials like straw or leaves on top to keep pests away and improve aesthetics.

Common Challenges and How to Troubleshoot Them

Using kitchen scraps is mostly straightforward, but there are a few challenges you should be aware of to ensure everything goes smoothly in your backyard farm.

Dealing with Pests

One of the biggest worries when using kitchen scraps is attracting unwanted pests like rodents, insects, or even neighborhood pets. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize this risk:

• Avoid Meat and Dairy Products: These can attract pests and cause foul odors as they decompose—best to stick to plant-based scraps.
• Cover Scraps Thoroughly: When direct composting or using scraps in the garden, make sure to bury them well under the soil. A thin top layer of soil or mulch can also help mask the smell.
• Rodent-Proof Your Compost Bin: If you’re going the composting route, make sure your bin has a tight-fitting lid and is elevated off the ground with a mesh bottom to discourage rodents from getting in.

Bad Smells: What’s Going Wrong?

A well-maintained compost pile shouldn’t smell bad. If you notice a foul odor, it’s usually a sign that something is off:

• Too Wet: If your compost pile is too wet, it can turn soggy and start to smell. Add more brown material like dry leaves or cardboard to balance the moisture.
• Poor Aeration: Without enough air, anaerobic bacteria take over, causing unpleasant odors. Turn your compost pile regularly to keep it well aerated.
• Inappropriate Materials: Be cautious not to compost materials that shouldn’t be there, such as meat, dairy, or fats, as these will cause a stink and attract pests.

Sourcing the Right Amount of Scraps

Sometimes it’s tricky to maintain a consistent supply of kitchen scraps, especially during the off-seasons when you might not be cooking as much. Here’s how to manage this:

• Store Scraps Until Ready: If you don’t have enough scraps to add to your compost at any given time, store them in a sealed container in your freezer. This will prevent any smells or pests from getting into them and allow you to add larger amounts at once.
• Share with Neighbors: Perhaps your neighbors also want to be eco-friendly but don’t have a backyard farm of their own. You can pool kitchen scraps and all benefit from improved soil and reduced waste.

What to Do with Scraps You Shouldn’t Use

Sometimes, not everything from your kitchen can go into your compost pile or backyard farm. Items like onions, garlic, citrus peels, meat, dairy, and oils either decompose slowly, affect the pH or nutrient balance, or can attract pests.

However, these pesky scraps don’t have to head straight for the trash. Consider these alternatives:

• Green Waste Collection: Some municipalities offer green waste bins that accept items not suitable for backyard composting.
• Household Art Projects: Unusual items like onion skins and tea bags can be repurposed for arts and crafts—like natural dyes for fabrics.
• Animal Feed: If you or a neighbor have chickens, many food scraps can be fed to them. Chickens will happily gobble up things like fruit and most veggie scraps, creating natural fertilizer in return.

Advanced Insights: Making the Most of Compost “Teas”

Once you get comfortable with your kitchen scraps and composting, you might want to try your hand at making compost tea. This is a nutrient-rich liquid made by steeping mature compost or worm castings in water, then using it to water your plants.

To make compost tea, follow these steps:

• Choose Your Base: Compost from your heap or worm castings from your vermicomposting bin can be used.
• Create the Tea: Mix a ratio of about 1 part compost to 5-10 parts water. Let the mixture steep for a few days, stirring occasionally.
• Apply to Plants: Once the tea is ready, strain out the solids (which can go back to your compost pile) and use the liquid as a rich plant food. It can be poured around the base of plants or even used as a spray for foliar feeding.

This “tea” is great for giving your plants an extra boost during the growing season and can be instrumental in helping young seedlings get established.

Final Thoughts…

Janet, you’re quite right in thinking that using kitchen scraps in your backyard farm can benefit both your garden and the environment. By choosing the appropriate scraps, using methods like direct composting, traditional composting, or even vermicomposting, and being mindful of potential challenges like pests or odors, your small farm will certainly flourish.

Every effort you make in recycling your kitchen scraps backs up your commitment to sustainability, and your backyard farm will be all the better for it. Thanks for sending in your question, and good luck with all your gardening endeavors!