I have been adding a "potato-peel-slurry" to my garden (the residue from an automatic potato peeler used by a french-fry maker in town; just water and ground-up potato peel), in hopes of giving my soil a boost. I mix the slurry with topsoil first, and then dig it into my vegetable garden and flower beds. It definitely seems to have improved the garden's ability to retain water, but I'm wondering if I should also be adding additional fertilizer or something. For example, I know when you use woodchips in a garden, the chips "soak up" some of the nitrogen in the soil in the decomposition process, thereby robbing the plants of some of their nutrients. Wouldn't want to be doing that with these potato peels... Any ideas/suggestions? Thank you!

Hello Era043,

I get a ton of potato peels from a catering business (my in-laws). I throw them all in my compost bin first and have them break down in there until I need them. They go in my compost with lettuce leaves, leftover tomato's, kiwi, onion peels, green peppers etc. etc. Plus a ton of leaves. I wouldn't think potato peels directly in the garden would be any major problems unless it creates a lot of flies. In that case, my friend Weezie advised me to put more brown with my green to balance it out. That reduces the smell and the bugs. It's a great feeling knowing you are recycling what most people think nothing of throwing in the garbage! Good for you!

--Bunny T.

What your doing sounds good to me. Potatoes and the slurry will compost quickly without robbing the soil, but will add to it.
The way I understand it, the longer a product takes to decompose, the more nitrogen it uses.

I use everything except:
1. Egg Whites.
2. Egg Yolks.
3. Beef/Lamb/Pig/Chicken, meat, fat, skin or bones.
4. Papers of anykind that are heavy with chemicals.


I do use:
1. All Kitchen trimmings of vegies.
2. Paper towels that are not soiled with meat products such as fat and blood.
3. Hair.
4. All yard waste, weeds, fading blossoms, lawn clippings, etc.