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Farm for your Life. Your community was taken down by a heavy storm which caused an apocalypse and unleashed the living dead. Together with the other survivors, it is your task to rebuild and to allow that sustainable life can still be assured. Cultivate your farm and manage your restaurant to provide food and deal with all the zombies. Don't fight the agencies; they can make your life miserable. Instead, become friends with them. They can be a big help to you, and usually will be.
Before we begin, it is important to take a minute to define what a macronutrient and micronutrient are and why it is important to this article and your composting.Very simply, Macronutrients are nutrients that every single plant in your garden needs to have to live.NO EXCEPTION.While knowing what each macronutrient does is not critical to composting, it is important to know what the 6 nutrients are. They are phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and nitrogen.While Macronutrients are key to a plant’s survival, Micronutrients are needed in very small quantities and are important in helping your plants become healthier and produce a better yield.Knowing micronutrients is less important than macronutrients, but it is still important to understand the importance of them to your compost and garden. They include Boron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, and Iron.And while there are hundreds of foods you can compost, I want to provide you with the 9 BEST organic waste materials:1. Banana Peels (macronutrient). Remember, the goal of this article is to find food that will be most effective in adding nutrients to your compost.
One of the easiest and most nutritional foods to compost is Banana Peels.Banana Peels will provide your compost with the valuable nutrient, phosphorus.This will allow your plants to produce the strongest root growth possible and better flowering, which will ultimately give you a better crop yield.In addition, phosphorus has been known to give plants the ability to better fight different stressors (heat, disease, cold, etc.).2. Coffee Grounds (macronutrient). Have you ever driven by a Starbucks and wonder what they do with all those coffee grounds? I haven’t either.
The good news for you though is that coffee grounds may be the best food waste to add to your compost.Coffee grounds will provide your compost with the valuable nutrients magnesium and potassium.These two are absolutely critical for new plant growth, increases the ability to fight diseases, and in certain situations improves drought resistance.If you have perennial plants and a lack of potassium, expect to see very little new growth from year to year.3. Egg Shells (macronutrient). Do you like baked goods? How about a good ole fashion Omelette? If you answered yes to any of these then you definitely have some eggshells laying around.Eggs shells are a great way to provide your compost with calcium. Don’t overthink calcium. It functions in plants just like it does in humans.Eggs Shells will give your compost the nutrient plants need to stay strong, support structural growth, and support mature fruits (you don’t want to grow fruit only to have it prematurely fall off).4.
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Brocolli (macronutrient). Have you ever tried peanut butter on a hamburger? If you have, you understand it is one of the greatest discoveries ever. If not, you should try it.Do you know what else you should try?Peanuts in your compost.Peanuts are a great food to add to your compost to help increase zinc.
Zinc is a key ingredient for helping your plant regulate the food they process. Think of it this way.Without zinc, humans would be the size of balloons or the size of mice. The same goes for plants.9.
Potatoes (micronutrient). All of my Idaho readers will love this one.Potatoes provide a tremendous source of nutrient copper.
Making your kitchen greener is much easier than you think! Here’s how you can start composting food scraps like a pro in no time.BY: DIANNA SINNI DILLON, RDN, LDMost people toss their apple cores, dinner crumbs, and kale stems into the garbage can like it’s nothing. The food in your fridge or on your plate easily become trash if it is no longer worthy of a bite. Forgotten leftovers and unused portions of fruit and veggies are typically synonymous with trash.But before you trash the papery peel of garlic and the ends of onions while you prep for your next meal, let’s consider composting. What is composting?Composting is an easy way to reduce, reuse, and recycle your kitchen scraps and it isn’t just the newest trend sweeping or strictly for the “crunchy granola” type. In fact, you don’t even have to have a green thumb to do it, or even have a garden!Simply put, composting is one simple action that everyone can take towards cultivating a healthier and more sustainable environment no matter where you live.
Here are 3 quick reasons why: 1. Composting reduces your overall waste.The most recent data from the EPA states that American’s threw away over 251 million tons of trash in 2012; 35 million tons (or 21%) of it came from. This astronomical quantity went straight into landfills and incinerators, creating harmful greenhouse gases and ground water pollutants.
Composting food scraps can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and prevent unnecessary amounts of waste from going to landfills. On a more personal level, composting can greatly reduce a household’s waste production by 50% – think how many less trash bags you’d have to pay for on garbage day! Composting gives back to Mother Nature.Replenishing the soil, enriching plant health, and promoting garden sustainability are some of the ways composting gives back to the Earth. Healthy soil reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, unnatural methods of soil enrichment, and toxic pesticides that are harmful to our environment, health, and food. Healthy soil = healthy plants = healthy food.Any eater, gardener, or air breather can appreciate that!
Composting is EASY!Thankfully you don’t have to live on a farm to compost or have a big wallet. Composting can be done if you have zero green space and it is virtually cost-free! Just head over to or to pick up a or compost container. If you are lucky enough to have a backyard or even a community garden, you can easily to break down your kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich soil. Most kitchen scraps can make their way into a compost pile, but try to avoid meat, fish, overly oily foods/sauces, and dairy as they can slow down the decomposition process (and produce more stink!).For those of you who don’t want to create compost yourself, you can still save your kitchen waste and find a local garden, farm, or city-wide location where you can bring it.
Bigger cities like Seattle, Austin, and New York City now have city-wide compost programs that pick up compost on trash day. Think about ityesterday’s meal prep scraps could be turned into locally and organically grown produce! HEADER IMAGE: MILADA VIGEROVADanna Sinni Dillon, RDN, LD is a Registered Dietitian based in Kansas City, MO with a passion for all things whole grain, green, and homegrown. She focuses on empowering and inspiring others to take charge of their wellness through simple plant-based recipes and science-powered advice.
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