Laidback Gardener Tip of the Day

Making Your Own Compost Smoothie

20150124In Northern climates, the outdoor composter is rarely accessible in winter as it is either covered with snow or frozen shut… but that’s still not a good excuse to stop recycling your table scraps and food waste! Instead, install a blender on the counter and place your scraps in it as you cook. When the blender is almost full (after two to three days if you do the slightest bit of home cooking), add a cup of water and turn it on. You will get a “compost smoothie” you can then pour into a plastic bag or other container and freeze until spring. In my very cold climate, I simply stack the smoothie bags outdoors by the back door and therefore they take no room in the freezer compartment of my fridge.

At snow melt, either let your smoothies melt and pour them into your outdoor compost bin or simply plop them in still frozen: they’ll decompose very quickly. Or pour the blends thinly on the ground in your vegetable garden or flower bed, a technique called surface composting. Either way, all that organic material gets properly recycled, a win-win situation for the environment and your garden!

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

1 comment on “Making Your Own Compost Smoothie

  1. This was an ‘aha’ moment, and it brought a chuckle. Heck of an idea. 🙂

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