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From the blog...
5 Simple Steps for Turning Your Kitchen Scraps
into Gardening GOLD
(Food) Spoiler Alert!! Don’t throw away your future soil!! Every banana peel, carrot top, pile of coffee grounds you toss in the trash is a huge missed opportunity to add incredible nutrients to your garden - completely for free. Composting is one of the simplest, most effective things you can do for your soil. It doesn’t need to be messy, complicated, or time-consuming - and if you do it right, it won't even be smelly!
And really, once you get it going and see the amazing soil that comes out the other side, you'll start to actually get excited about throwing your scraps in the ol 'post!
Here’s how to get started with composting the 10X Blue Garden Pro way!
1. What You Can Compost
All composting starts with two categories: greens and browns. Get the mix right, and the pile practically runs itself!
✅ Greens (Nitrogen-rich materials):
▹ Fruit and vegetable scraps
▹ Coffee grounds (filters are okay too)
▹ Tea bags (no staples, and watch for synthetic mesh)
▹ Grass clippings
▹ Fresh plant trimmings
✅ Browns (Carbon-rich materials):
▹ Dry leaves
▹ Shredded newspaper or plain paper
▹ Cardboard (non-glossy, no tape)
▹ Straw or hay
▹ Sawdust (from untreated wood only)
🚫 Avoid These:
▹ Meat, dairy, bones, or oily/fried food (they attract pests and rot)
▹ Pet waste (can carry harmful bacteria)
▹ Glossy/coated paper or anything treated with chemicals
▹ Diseased plant material or invasive weeds that could survive the process
Quick tip:
Be sure to thin them early to prevent overcrowding, which can cause stunted growth. Leave the stunts to the rabbits trying to get them!
2. Balance Is Everything
For compost to break down quickly and smell good (well, at least not horrible!), it needs the right balance of greens and browns.
▹ Aim for 1 part green to 2–3 parts brown
▹ Greens bring moisture and nitrogen; browns add bulk and air pockets
▹ If your pile smells sour or looks slimy, it’s too wet—add dry browns
▹ If nothing is happening, it’s most likely too dry—add some greens or a splash of water
Quick tip:
Think of your compost pile like a lasagna—alternate layers of greens and browns for best results.
3. Choose Your Composting Style
Simple Bin or Pile
▹ Ideal for most yards
▹ Just layer your materials and let nature do the rest
▹ Add new scraps to the top and let the bottom finish
▹ Cover with a tarp to hold moisture and keep critters out
Compost Tumbler
▹ Great for small spaces or neater gardens
▹ Speeds up decomposition with regular turning
▹ Requires a bit more maintenance but produces finished compost much faster (4–6 weeks)
Trench Composting
▹ The easiest method—no pile, no bin
▹ Dig a hole, drop in your scraps, and cover with soil
▹ Works best in empty beds or between rows of plants
▹ Slower, but invisible and pest-proof
Quick tip:
If you’re short on space, a 5-gallon bucket with drilled holes makes a solid DIY compost bin!
4. How to Keep Smells Down
Compost shouldn’t stink (beyond the "earthy" smell of rotting leaves, etc). If it does, something’s off—but it’s easy to fix!
Stick to the right materials: Avoid meat, dairy, and oily foods. Unless you keep your composting bin away from the house (or any place you like to hang out!), it's best to not add these components. While they can add a lot of nutrients, there's no way to NOT have the smell of rotting meat if there's... well, rotting meat!
REMEMBER: "Greens Under Browns!" - Cover food scraps: Always bury fresh "greens" under a layer of "browns". This seals in moisture and cuts odor.
Aerate regularly: Oxygen is critical. Without it, your pile goes anaerobic and starts to rot. Turn your pile every week or two.
Balance moisture: If your pile is soggy and slimy, add dry browns and turn it.
Use a lid or tarp: Keeps smells contained and rain out.
Quick tip:
Toss in a few handfuls of shredded leaves or straw every time you add kitchen scraps. It balances moisture and neutralizes odors before they start.
5. Speed Things Up
Compost breaks down on its own, but if you want to hurry the process:
Chop Chop! Chop large scraps into smaller pieces before adding them
Every Good Turn Deserves Another: Turn the pile every 1–2 weeks to introduce oxygen and mix layers
Keepin' It Real...Keepin' it real moist: Aim for the feel of a wrung-out sponge. Don't let it dry out!
Add “Activators”: Like coffee grounds, comfrey leaves, or finished compost to kickstart microbial activity. And if you have access, you can add the "ultimate" activator... earth worms!!
Quick tip:
If the center of your pile feels warm, it’s working. That heat is microbes doing their thing!
6. When It’s Ready...
Finished compost looks, smells, and feels like rich, dark soil... The kind that you love running your hands through! (crazy that this was all just recently old, rotting food that you wouldn't want to touch! That's the magic of composting!!)
Color: Deep brown to rich black
Texture: Crumbly, like ground coffee, but softer
Smell: Earthy— definitely not sour or rotten
No chunks: You shouldn’t see identifiable food bits
If you don't see the any of the above, it's likely that your compost needs a bit more time to do its thing!
And of course, how to use it:
👉 Mix into your existing planting beds for a nutrient boost
👉 Top-dress your veggies, flowers, or shrubs
👉 Use in potting soil mixes for containers or new beds
👉 Brew some tasty "compost tea" for a liquid fertilizer option (your plants will LOVE it!)
Quick tip:
Make sure to plant after the last frost in your region, and then water them consistently to keep them extra happy (for the best yields!)
With Love, Light and Garden Growth,
The 10x Blue Garden Pro
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