banana peels in compost

As I was eating a banana this morning I got to wondering if I dared put the peel into my compost pile. I don't know if it would break down okay, if I chop it up a little. Anyone know? Vicki

Banana peels break down just great. I cut mine up, add coffee grounds, and bury them near one of my rose bushes.

Great, thanks!

Vicki, bananas are excellent for your compost pile. I don't do anything to them. I throw them in whole. Often times we have spoiled bananas and I'll throw those in as well.

Dean

I bury all my peels in the huge pot where I'm growing a banana tree. Easy recycled potassium!

I bury them by my roses, in my compost piles and occasionally make banana slurry for my worms.

Ummm... I have nothing to add to this lol What they said.

For awhile I had my neighborhood restrurant tossing those peels in with the coffee grounds. Someone did not like the looks of that so we are back to coffee grounds only
from that source. I get a five gallon bucket full of coffee grounds every other day or so.

When they peel spuds for home fries I sometimes get a bucket of peels from that one event.

The problem I seem to have is employees learn from my presence and then the supply dries up.

I usually eat a banana at my desk every morning with breakfast. I take the peel, along with my teabag, and whatever I eat at lunch that I can compost, and put it back in my lunchbag and take it home to add to the pile. Bananas are not just a great source of potassium for people, but also for your soil. We have two large staghorn ferns in our backyard, and it is recommended to throw a banana peel in them every now and then in order to provide the nutrients they need.

When in doubt, I always ask myself, "Did this come from a plant, used to be a plant or part of a plant?" If the answer is yes, it's generally compostable. Also, I've noticed that my kitchen scraps break down faster than anything else in my compost pile. I was just sifting my finished compost the other day and was amazed that the only thing I still recognized was a few eggshells and the Twinings tag from my teabags. I just threw them back in the "active" pile and someday they too, will be compost! Isn't it amazing how it works?

Melanie

My brothers thought I was a little strange when they saw me get excited over a bunch of banana peels and egg shells in a garbage bag. I guess it is a little over the top when you see garbage and shout SCCCccccccoooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee!

LOL!!! Cheeto your to funny!

Cheeto, you my kinda folks!! What's wrong with a little excitement! That's good stuff!!! LOL You should have seen and heard me when I scored about 25 trash bags of oak leaves and they dropped em off! WHAT A DEAL!!

I had a really off week so I thought I would hunt down some landscapers and score some leaves and grass clippings. They are not easy to find when you are looking for them. I didn't score a thing lol I'll just have to keep my eyes open for them with some garbage bags handy in case of a quick score.

I second the what they said. I love it when fruit rots and I get to put it in my compost. There is a site that is called 166 things to compost. People here sent me to it. There are things on there you'd never dream would compost!!! Popcorn and jello? It's there.

Cheeto, they really think you are crazy when they start to throw stuff out and you start lunging for it and yelling. NOOOOOOOO. Also when you go through your kids garbage at their house.

Well... I haven't quite started going through other peoples garbage. it was right there on the counter, a little plastic grocery bag filled mostly with bananas and egg shells. My brothers train for tri athelons and Ironman events, so lots of eggs and bananas. I just caught it before it made it to the trash lol Not saying I wouldn't though : )

I guess it doesn't hurt to go through it, if you just don't do it at midnight .

People seem to frown on that! lol Now, now, just once . My daughter and I share a trash can and I was taking mine out anyway. Just cause I had a mask and black clothes. Geesh.

I have a friend who is growing giant pumpkins just for the vegetable matter! Can't move em anyway.. LOL

I too eat a bananna for breakfast every morning.. or two or three.. LOL I put them in with my coffee grounds and compost em.

I found that if you let egg shells dry for a day.. they will crumble better.