A smoothie for your garden

Compost, as you are doubtless aware, is both excellent for your garden and a responsible thing to do with kitchen scraps and other biodegradable garbage. If you have the time and space to compost the traditional way, you should do that by all means. However, sometimes your garden needs a boost and your compost pile is far from ready, and sometimes (as is the case in my neighborhood) traditional compost piles are illegal. I know, it's insane.

A friend told me that during a busy season in her life she used to grind up her compost in the blender and pour it directly on her garden. I figured it could not hurt to try. I will admit to a moment's hesitation at putting garbage in my Vitamix, but I overcame my reluctance for the sake of vegetable production.

Compost in the blender.

My kids thought we were having a smoothie for lunch. I said, "Not directly."

I brought the blender full of compost smoothie out to the garden and fed it to the dirt and worms for lunch. Hopefully we'll see good results in a few weeks!

Some notes on blender composting:

• It's best to blend every day or two so the stuff doesn't get moldy.
• Use a trowel to dig the compost smoothie into the dirt so you don't attract bugs or bees.
  
• You may not want to blend paper and some other things that are normally compostable. I stick with coffee grounds, tea leaves, fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings, and washed eggshells.
• Add plenty of water to the blender so you don't burn out your motor.
• And, last but certainly not least:
  

Wash the blender well when you're finished!