How To Make Organic Fertilizer From Your Kitchen Waste
Nearly all food waste go directly to the trash can or garbage disposal; a practice that is essentially wasteful especially considering that these products can be turned into something really useful: fertilizer.
Food waste is composed of organic matter which can be used for composting to make fertilizer. It is an effective and eco-friendly way of disposing food waste in your kitchen. By using leftovers and other food waste, you can convert these smelly items from the kitchen waste into a highly organic product rich in nutrients that you can use to grow vegetables or flowers with it.
To make your own organic fertilizer from your kitchen waste, follow the steps below:
1. Go through your kitchen waste.
Vegetables and fruit peelings are the number one food remnants you should keep aside. Keep over-ripened fruits and vegetables, nuts, and egg shells. However, do not include grease, oils, fatty meats, and milk products in your composting materials since they will make your compost pile a wet mess and produce an annoying odor. Put these items on a well-drained, level, and open area and sprinkle some wood ash to boost the composting process.
2. Add other organic materials to the compost.
Aside from wood ash, you can also add sawdust to the compost to help speed up the composting process. If you have some livestock, you can add the excess manure to the compost. If you don’t have sawdust or manure readily at home, you can buy them from a gardening supplies store.
3. Collect some garden waste.
To come up with a nutrient-rich fertilizer, you will also need to add some natural waste to your compost. You can do this by collecting grass clippings and leaves from your lawn. When you mow your lawn, all the organic waste will be sucked and mixed inside the lawnmower bag. Remove all the contents from the lawnmower and place them into your compost bin.
4. Create the compost.
Add the prepared kitchen waste to the garden waste already in the compost bin. The compost bin should have a handle you can use to turn as you rotate the compost for thorough mixing and to incorporate oxygen into the mixture. Also, make sure the bin has some holes on the side to enable excess moisture to escape as you spin the compost. Lawn care experts recommend spinning the compost bin 2 to 3 times a day for best results.
5. Apply the fertilizer.
Wait for your compost to achieve a soil-like mixture that is dark in color. Once the compost reaches this appearance, it is ready to be spread. Use a garden fork to spread the compost on the garden fields you want to fertilize. Apply the right amount of compost and wait for the fertilizer to seep in and see some effect on the areas applied before you adding more.
Composting your kitchen waste offers several benefits which include getting rid of unwanted rubbish and having some fertilizer you can use on your lawn. Before throwing your leftovers and other food remnants, determine if they will work great as compost materials first.
