Composting is the best way to make use of kitchen scraps and create your own nutrient-rich soil. But there can be challenges in composting for people who live in apartments or have limited yard space. Winter is also a problem when it comes to keeping a compost pile hot to facilitate the decomposition process can be nearly impossible.
So, if you don’t have the time or space for traditional composting, there is a simple way to take advantage of the nutrients that go to waste in your kitchen and provide your plants with key nutrients that they need to thrive.
What is Blender Composting?
Blender compositing is the process of blending kitchen waste like vegetable scraps with water to create a liquid smoothie that you can pour directly into the soil around plants. When blending this kickstarts the decomposition process by shredding the scraps into tiny particles and the liquid can immediately begin leaching vital nutrients into the soil.
If you are already composting in a bin, you can blend the scraps with water and pour them into your compost bin or pile. This is a great approach because you are accelerating the decomposition process of your nitrogen-rich material by shredding them into tiny particles.
You can literally reduce the decomposition rate of an apple from weeks to days. This is surprisingly a popular method for vermicompost where small trays of blended scraps under the surface of a worm compost bin. It’s a broken-down food source for the worms and speeds the composting process.
What are the Professionals Saying?
Let’s look at what professionals have to say about this approach.
New Mexico State University’s Department of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences recommends blending kitchen waste to minimize particle size during the winter to facilitate the decomposition process that is often hampered by cold weather.
The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences points out that blending up your greens prior to putting them in your pile offers a way to infuse finer texture organic material into the compost. This university’s cooperative extension in Maricopa County also points out blending as a method for reducing the particle size to speed up the process in vermicomposting because worms can only intake very small particles at a time.
What to blend for compost?
The general rules of composting apply here. No meat or dairy but all vegetable and fruit scraps and even eggs are fair game. Avoid large seeds like avocado seeds as they can damage your blender blade. Below is a list of compostable foods.
You can use also use scraps in a dig and drop composting method. Where you dig a hole in a part of your yard not being used and fill the holes in the ground with organic material listed below with food scraps. Dig a hole, approximately 10 to 12 inches deep and as wide as you want or need it to be. The earth will naturally decompose the material over time leaving you with nutrient rich soil.
How to Start Blender Composting
Step 1 – Save your scraps!
Collect any leftovers into a one-gallon zip lock or a small 2-gallon container with an air-tight lid that you can keep in your freezer. This will allow you to store plenty of waste until you are ready to blend. You can also do this on a day-to-day basis without freezing but if you have a fertilizing schedule as I do the best use of your time would be to save up throughout the week and then blend everything on a Saturday morning, my watering schedules are Wednesdays and Sundays, so I like to fertilize around these times.
Step 2 – Add scraps and water
Now blender composting can be hard at times, I can almost guarantee that the failure was due to a lack of water. You should be able to add a good 1/4 of water to the overall size of the blender’s container. It can be added first or after you put the scraps in but if you don’t add enough water you will end up with a mush. You are wanting more of a liquid soup consistency.
Just remember this, you really can’t have too much water. The more you have, the better the mixture will blend. In the end, it’s all going into the soil anyway.
Step 3 – Blend until it’s a drinkable consistency… but don’t drink it!
The finer you break down those chunks of nutrient-rich particles, the faster your plants or compost pile can go to work using them. What you are looking for is a mixture that would be more suited to a spoon than a fork. In other words, a drinkable consistency. It won’t be a pure liquid of course, but it should pour from the container, not have to be spooned out.
If the consistency is too thick, simply remove some to make room and add more water. Mix a little more and get the consistency right. Once you have done this a couple of times, you’ll know exactly how much water is needed for your particular blender’s size.
Step 4 – Pour on the nutrient goodness!
With your mixture properly blended, you can now pour it directly into the soil around plants, into your compost pile, or in a buried container in your worm bin. I like to throw a little dirt on after I pour to prevent pests but to be honest, I’ve never had pest issues related to my kitchen waste recycling efforts even though I routinely bury kitchen scraps all over my yard.
Conclusion
I am always looking for simple solutions and blender composting is one of the easiest ways to take advantage of the nutritional benefit of kitchen waste for your plants, garden, or compost pile. Just as you can accelerate the decomposition of carbon material by tearing it into small pieces, you can boost the availability of nutrients from these nitrogen-rich vegetable leftovers in a matter of seconds by running them through the blender with a good amount of water mixed in.
Thank you for reading 🌟
L9ve, Peace and Blessings
Instagram: @L9vebaked
Twitter: @Churchofplants
Website: L9vebaked.com
Medium: @PlantBasedChurch
You can read my Ebook The VASH Diet here!
