Compost Banana Peels (ways to make banana skin compost)

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A healthy diet includes consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables, which may result in leftovers and food waste. Fortunately, composting provides a sustainable solution, and one of the best organic materials for composting is the humble banana peel. Bananas make a delicious snack, and their peels offer valuable benefits to your garden plants. But what is the best way to compost banana peels for the benefits of your backyard garden?

Compost your banana peels to enhance soil nutrition and structure. Integrate them into your compost pile by mixing them with other compostable materials. Consider brewing a nutrient-rich compost tea and balancing your compost mix for optimal garden health.

In this article, you will learn the different innovative ways to use banana peels for composting. I will also provide practical methods and tips on turning your leftover banana peels into rich, nutritious materials for your plants to enhance your gardening potential, ensuring your efforts lead to a flourishing, eco-friendly garden.

Benefits Of Banana Peels In Compost

Banana peels are a great way to enrich your soil, improve its structure, and deter pests. They are also a sustainable alternative to store-bought fertilizers and can help reduce kitchen waste.

Here are some key benefits of the humble banana peel:

• Nutrient enrichment: They are rich sources of essential nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, which help enrich the soil
• Improved soil structure: The organic matter in banana peels improves soil structure by enhancing water retention and aeration, creating an ideal environment for plant roots and nutrient absorption. 1
• Microbial activity: They stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil, speeding up the composting process.
• Pest deterrence: Compounds in banana peels, such as limonene, act as natural deterrents for pests like aphids and ants, providing pest protection without harsh chemicals.
• Reduced waste: Composting is an eco-friendly way to reduce kitchen waste, offering a sustainable alternative to store-bought fertilizers. Adding banana peels to your compost promotes recycling kitchen scraps, contributing to a more sustainable gardening approach.
  

Use Banana Peels For Compost Pile: Green Or Brown Compost Material Ratio

Banana peels, like coffee grounds, are considered ‘green’ materials due to their relatively high nitrogen content. They can balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in compost with ‘brown’ materials like dried leaves or straw.

The ideal carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio for composting is around 25-30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Or put another way, for every three bucketfuls of browns you deposit into your compost pile, you’ll also need one bucket of greens to keep your heap well balanced.

When combining ‘green’ materials like banana peels (high nitrogen) with ‘brown’ materials like leaves or straw (high carbon), it’s best to aim for this balance that achieves this balanced ratio. Remember, if your pile becomes unbalanced, you run the risk of stopping the decomposition process, resulting in a smelly or slimy mess – a common problem among novice backyard composters. 2

Ways To Compost Your Banana Skin: A Traditional Compost Process

1. Gather your materials:  Collect banana peels and other kitchen scraps. You can even use some of your leftover bananas, too. Layer green and brown materials in your pile to create the correct ratio mentioned above to help make a balanced compost.
2. Chop or shred the peels: Cut fresh or dried banana peels. Smaller pieces help speed up the decomposition process and allow them to be added to the compost more efficiently.
3. Layer your materials: Add a layer of brown materials (leaves, straw, newspaper). Then, add a layer of green materials, including your chopped peels, and alternate between brown and green layers as you build your pile.
4. Balance the mixture: Maintain a good balance between green and brown materials, ensuring the compost has the proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio for efficient decomposition. If you have a closed system, like a compact compost tumbler, the 3:1 ratio still applies to help break down your materials.  
5. Water the Compost: Ensure your compost pile stays damp without becoming overly saturated. While banana peels contain some moisture, it’s essential to add water so your compost doesn’t dry out entirely. 
6. Turn it regularly: Periodically turn or mix the compost, which prevents it from becoming compacted and encourages the breakdown of materials, including the leftover peels. This process helps aerate your pile and enables it to decompose correctly. 
7. Apply the compost: Mature compost, called humus, is garden-ready once it looks like dark, crumbly soil. Humus should be slightly damp, smell earthy, or surprisingly fresh, and you should not be able to identify any components within your mix. 3
   

Time Needed To Compost Banana Peels In Your Garden

Composting time varies based on pile size, material mix, and environmental conditions. These conditions involve a well-balanced blend of compost materials, sufficient moisture, and regular turning, typically taking 2 to 6 months for faster results, commonly called hot composting.

• Interestingly, larger compost piles heat up more efficiently, expediting decomposition, while smaller heaps or bins may take longer. Regular turning enhances aeration and decreases time while maintaining a balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is crucial.
• Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity influence composting speed, with warmer, moist conditions accelerating the process. Remember, kitchen scraps (green materials) typically decompose faster than woody (brown) materials.
• Accelerators like starters or even aged manure can speed up the composting process. Likewise, chopping your materials into smaller pieces helps break down materials and increases the surface area for microorganisms to do their job. 4
  

Compost Rotten Bananas 

Despite their unappealing appearance, rotting banana peels are as valuable as fresh ones. They add many nutrients to your compost pile, such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and zinc.

Collect any over-ripe or rotting banana peels and add them to your compost bin. They are rich in sugars and moisture and can add a quick energy boost to your compost heap, which helps accelerate decomposition and adds to the organic matter in the soil. 5

Separate the peels and chop or mash them into smaller pieces for faster decomposition, increasing surface area for efficient compost integration. Fortunately, you can add both banana peels and rotten bananas together.

Reducing household waste is simple and practical – especially if you have a home garden. Bananas are a common, popular, and tasty treat found in homes everywhere. But instead of tossing those yellow peels, help save the environment and throw them into your compost bin. Check out this informative video below that details several unique ways you can easily add peels to your compost to help enrich your garden!

Making Banana Peel Compost Tea

Banana peel compost can be used in other ways, such as creating a compost tea before pouring it into your pile. This tea can be an alternative to the traditional composting method commonly used by home gardeners.

Compost tea can give your plants the nutrient boost they need. Here’s how to prepare it.

1. Collect 2-3 banana peels, fresh or from your compost.
2. Use a clean container with a lid (1-gallon is suitable).
3. Place peels in the container and chop larger peels if needed.
4. Add a gallon of non-chlorinated water.
5. Optionally, include 1-2 tablespoons of molasses or honey for microbial growth.
6. Stir, cover, and let it steep for as long as 24-48 hours.
7. Strain the liquid using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
8. Dilute the tea with water for use on plants (1 part tea to 10 parts water).
9. Store unused tea in a sealed container in a cool, dark place and use for future use. 6

Best Tips For Adding Banana Peels In Garden

• Beware Of Pests: The sweet scent of banana peels can attract pests like fruit flies and ants. Although insects are a component of compost decomposition, proper management is crucial to prevent an overabundance of these unwanted insects within your pile. 
• Decomposition Time: Whole banana peels can take longer to decompose than smaller or shredded materials. Promote faster decomposition by cutting your peels into smaller pieces, providing proper aeration to your pile, and regularly turning your heap at least once weekly with a trusty garden fork. 
• Pathogens And Contaminants: Composting at the correct temperatures, typically between 130°F (54°C) and 160°F (71°C) in well-maintained piles, effectively eliminates these concerns. When adding bananas and banana peels to the compost pile, follow the steps cautiously and invest a few dollars in a compost thermometer to adequately determine your pile’s internal temperature. 7
• Fibrous Residues: Banana peels may leave behind fibrous residues that take longer to break down. Consider shredding or chopping the peels before adding them to the compost to address this.
• Reduce Acidity: If your garden’s soil is too acidic for specific plants you want to grow, consider using banana peel vinegar as a natural solution to raise the pH level and make it more suitable for a broader range of plants. Just be sure to monitor the soil pH with a meter to maintain your plants’ health.  
  

Conclusion

Composting your banana peels is a simple yet easy way to contribute to waste reduction and enhance your garden’s health. These kitchen scraps are packed with nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and trace elements, making them valuable additions to your compost pile. Integrating banana peels into your compost mix enriches the soil, enhances its structure, and promotes healthy plant growth.

Additionally, the key to successful banana peel composting lies in achieving the right balance between ‘green’ (nitrogen-rich) and ‘brown’ (carbon-rich) materials. Maintaining this healthy balance ensures efficient decomposition and avoids common issues like pile stagnation, unwanted smells, and rodent and insect infestations.

However, be mindful of potential challenges like attracting pests due to the sweet scent of banana peels. Proper compost management, regular turning, and ensuring suitable temperatures during composting can address these concerns. By following these tips and techniques, you can make the most of banana peels in your garden, reducing waste, enriching your soil, and promoting sustainable gardening practices.

Do you currently compost banana peels in your backyard compost pile or tumbler or make a tea like the one mentioned in this article? We’d love to hear about your successful methods. Take a moment and drop us a line in the comments below, and let us know your process!

SOURCES

1. National Library Of Medicine, National Center For Biotechnology Information – Banana Peels: A Waste Treasure For Human Beings
2. ResearchGate – The Utilization Of Banana Peel In The Fermentation Liquid In Food Waste Composting
3. Brisbane City Council – Four Ways Banana Peels Can Help Your Plants
4. Natural Resources Defense Council – Composting 101
5. SpringerLink – Banana Peel Biochar As Alternative Source Of Potassium For Plant Productivity And Sustainable Agriculture
6. Wikipedia – Compost Tea
7. ScienceDirect – Compost To Improve Sustainable Soil Cultivation And Crop Productivity

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