Geneva Green Market: Geneva, Illinois - A Local Food Green Farmers Market

Before you throw away those fruit peels, take a moment to think about a greener way of using your garbage.  Compost is a great way to enrich your soil and acts as a natural fertilizer.  There are ways to utilize not only kitchen waste, but your yard waste as well.

Green materials–Apple cores and peels, carrot shavings, celery ends, potato peels, grass clippings, but just remember, no meat! Brown materials - Older and dried yard waste, leaves dried vines/plants from the garden and straw.

A compost heap is an alternate layering of brown materials with green and a little soil.  Use about 3 inches of straw as the bottom layer, top with 1-6 inches of green layer, then a thin layer of soil, and repeat steps.  Turn the pile once every two weeks to aid in decomposition. Another method of composting is depositing materials directly into the soil.  Dig a few holes and put kitchen waste into them, top with soil and a rock and when it settles, the compost is done. Plant on or around the hole.  Either way, your soil will benefit.

After a few weeks the compost will be ready to use.  Compost is best used by placing it on top of the soil and gently cultivating it into the soil about 2 inches. It is best to use well rotted compost so that it will not burn the new plants. The next time you are about to throw away kitchen scraps, stop and think how much better they might look in your garden.  Your soil will be happier for it!