Composting in real time

[flowerandbulb]

i have been throwing eggshells and orange peels into the garden without burying it. do people think this is effective?

 

[Tetters]

Zigs just told me that his dad used to throw out orange peel because it was something the slugs loved. He would attract them with the peel, and then go out with his torch and capture the perishing things.

 

[Mr_Yan]

i have been throwing eggshells and orange peels into the garden without burying it. do people think this is effective?

no, not effective

 

[Tetters]

no, not effective

Spoilsport

 

[Meadowlark]

i have been throwing eggshells and orange peels into the garden without burying it. do people think this is effective?

Depends on what you define as "effective". Is it better than no organic material being added to the soil...YES absolutely.

Is it as effective as included within a compost pile and then added to the soil...NO

 

[MiTmite9]

i have been throwing eggshells and orange peels into the garden without burying it. do people think this is effective?

When I was a teenager, I lied and said I was 18 (I was only 17) so I could enroll in a series of Organic Gardening classes. Our instructor was a full on genius in the garden. I learned skills and information that changed my life forever.
One thing (among the many instructions) that stuck with me was "Warren" telling us how it takes a long, long time for orange peels to break down.

At my place, when we compost our orange peels, I cut them into 1-2" pieces before putting them in the compost bin. Same thing is true of eggshells, them taking a while to break down, so I learned to crush eggshells, manually, before adding those to the compost, too.

Adding any biodegradeable food bits to the soil can't hurt. Apparently (and I only read this yesterday, how strange), orange peels are a deterrent for cats. So, if you've got neighborhood cats roaming your yard, topical application of orange peels is a good thing. (Cats don't like the citrus scent.) Orange peels add lots of good nutrients to the soil: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. Eggshells add calcium and moderate soil acidity.

It would probably be best if you took the time to dig things in, if only a tiny bit ----- if you want things to break down more quickly, that is. You're certainly not harming your soil. Just keep in mind that it takes about six months for those orange peels to break down into your soil. Composting them, along with green horse manure or chicken droppings would vastly accelerate their decompostion.

Eggshells take forever to break down. They have been found in archaelogical digs. Ha.

We compost everything and anything at our house. Sometimes we use bins, sometimes we dig the kitchen scraps and paper bits and such right into the soil.

You keep up the good work: Feed your soil and keep it happy.

 

[big rockpile]

I take Egg Shell heat it in the Microwave crush them real fine for my Worms.

Take Compost and sift it. Some things take longer to break down.

big rockpile

 

[skinyea]

My kid bought a Lomi 2 years ago. It turns food scraps in to compost in about 6 hours.

 

[redback]

Skin is remarkable. Both shells and peel are skins. Animals seem to rot from within leaving their fur to decay later. I come across things when I'm turning compost that illustrate the point. Whole eggs stay intact for months until you crack the shells to release the stench within. Onions, pumpkins and nuts stay whole inside their outer layer for a long while.
Just saying. What's a Lomi?

 

[big rockpile]

I like my Bins I have 3 and long as I put stuff into be Composted they Compost fast enough for me.

Then I also have Worm Castings.

big rockpile