Banana peels are good for something other than pratfalls.
Food scraps such as eggshells, melon rinds and banana peels can help nourish plants. Shredded paper, leaf clippings and other biodegradables do the job, too.
Composting, which Crabtree Farms farm manager Joel Houser described as “the recycling of nutrients,” uses existing materials to create a rich soil that helps plants to grow.
“You’re making [the scraps] very beneficial to plants because they’re in a form that plants can take up through the soil. It’s taking a piece of lettuce and turning it into free fertilizer,” he said.
Anyone can compost, he said. There are compost tumblers available, or one can use wire or wood to create a compost area. Houser said he just uses piles.