Using Kitchen Scraps for Apartment Garden is one way to recycle and save the earth. 

Coffee scraps and other compostable items can be used to grow healthy vegetables in your garden.

You’ll be rewarded with a bountiful harvest in no time. Depending on your apartment complex you may be lucky enough to find a communal rooftop garden where you can grow your own edibles and flowers. The best part is that you’ll be the envy of your fellow tenants.

As with anything you do in the big city you’ll be sharing a room with some other humanoids. It’s a good idea to learn your neighbors’ habits before you take the leap. 

A Little Compost Bin Makes a Difference

A compost bin or two and some quality potting soil are all you need to get started. 

Some apartments are even putting out a compost bag for their tenants to use. This will only make your eco-friendly efforts more meaningful.

The best way to compost your kitchen scraps is to create a composting pile or bin. A fancy schmancy compost bin is not your typical weeded out backyard garden, but that’s okay. 

Organizing your kitchen scraps in a central location can make cleaning up your kitchen a breeze. Using a compost bin also means you’ll never be left with a greasy countertop.

Kitchen Scraps For Apartment Garden – How To Compost

If you live in an apartment, you can compost your food scraps in several ways.

For example, you can place them in a plastic bin or tumbler. However, you must make sure that the container has a tight-fitting lid so that it can keep out pests and insects.

Electric Composter

Another option is to use an electric composter. These composters use heat to break down your food scraps into a dark and odorless fertilizer.

Worm Composter

These small containers contain red wiggler worms, who help turn your waste into nutritious castings. You can use these castings as a natural plant food.

You’ll need a worm bin, a plastic container, and a drill. You can also purchase ready-made worm composters.

Some cities have drop-off services for food waste. Others have community gardens where you can leave your scraps. You can also encourage local groups to adopt a composting program on a larger scale.

Coffee Grounds are Full of Nutrients For Potted Plants

Coffee is full of nitrogen, which is essential for healthy plant growth. 

When you’re using it as a fertilizer, make sure you use it sparingly. The amount of nitrogen that coffee scraps can provide to a plant is fairly high, but it’s important to balance the nitrogen with other elements in the compost. 

Coffee grounds can be used to fertilize a variety of plants, both indoors and outdoors. 

Many flowering plants and vegetables respond positively to the nitrogen-rich coffee grounds. Roses, tomatoes, blueberries, gardenias and azaleas are just some of the plants that thrive with a regular dose of coffee grounds. 

Azaleas respond particularly well to the acidic nature of coffee grounds. Roses and tomatoes will produce more fruits if fertilized with coffee grounds, as they naturally contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium- all essential nutrients for healthy plants. 

Another way to use coffee scraps as a fertilizer is to mix it into homemade potting soil. When you use this method, you can add up to a quarter cup of coffee grounds to four to six cups of potting soil. 

If you choose to use this method, be sure to mix it in a thin layer on top of the plant soil to create a water-repellent barrier.

When you are using coffee grounds to fertilize your plants, be sure to only use it on plants with low-pH soil. Otherwise, the coffee will swell the root system, which can lead to foliage burn and rot.

The Importance Of Apartment Gardens For Community

Having an apartment garden can provide tenants with an outlet for social sharing, and can also decrease stress levels. 

Apartments that feature communal gardens have been shown to reduce crime in surrounding neighborhoods. Residents are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when they are readily available. The presence of a community garden can increase food security for those in need.

Apartment garden programs can reduce stress levels, improve the health of tenants, and strengthen the community. 

They can also help tenants to form great neighborly relationships, and can encourage voluntary activity requests. For example, in a recent study, residents who tended to the garden reported that they felt happier and more self-confident.

Final Word

From adding compost made from food scraps to using recycled containers for growing plants, composting and recycling kitchen scraps can help ensure your apartment garden thrives. 

Incorporating organic materials into the soil can improve drainage, aeration and water retention. Utilizing natural fertilizers, such as coffee grounds or banana peels, can help boost the nutrition of your plants. 

Finally, adding earthworms to your compost bin can help break down organic materials and provide beneficial nutrients for your vegetable garden.