5 Food Scraps You Should Toss in the Garden—Instead of the Trash

Kitchen scraps create a lot of waste, but many foods can be added to your garden instead of the trash. “Food waste is an enormous contributor to climate change—globally, we waste about a third of our food,” explains Michael Karapetian, leader of the Great Global Cleanup campaign at Earthday.org. “When you compost, you are doing the planet a favor because you are replacing important nutrients, like nitrogen and carbon, directly back into the soil, instead of filling up landfill sites.”

Here, gardening and composting experts offer tips on the best foods to add to your garden. From fruit peels to eggshells, these are some kitchen scraps you can add to your growing spaces to enrich the soil while reducing waste.

Eggshells

Eggshells are a common food item you can toss in your garden. “Crushed eggshells add calcium to the soil, helping with plant growth and preventing blossom end rot on tomatoes,” says Michael Clarke, horticulturalist and founder of Yardwork. To add eggshells to your garden, crush up the shells and sprinkle them over the soil. You can also use rinsed eggshells as small planters for seeds and seedlings.

Citrus Peels

Citrus peels are another item you can add to your garden. Peels from citrus fruits like oranges and lemons add nutrients to the soil. “Orange peels contain a lot of nitrogen,” Karapetian says. “Basically, as they decompose, they release their nutrients—so much better than going to a landfill!” The strongly scented peels also offer a natural deterrent against common garden pests like ants and aphids.

Banana Peels

Banana peels are another kitchen scrap that enriches soil with essential nutrients for plant growth. “Banana peels actually contain calcium, which promotes root growth, magnesium, which plants need for photosynthesis, and potassium, which helps them stay vibrant,” Karapetian explains. To add banana peels to your garden, cut up the peels and dig them into the soil around your plants. 

Vegetable Scraps

If you’re cooking with vegetables, you can use the scraps in your garden. “Peels from potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and leftover greens from celery, lettuce, or herbs are great for the garden as they break down quickly in compost and are rich in nutrients like potassium and phosphorus,” Clarke says. To add vegetable scraps to your garden, dig a shallow trench and bury the vegetable pieces. 

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds are another common household item you can toss in your garden. “Coffee is a rich source of nitrogen for plants, both indoor and outdoor,” Karapetian says. “Outside, sprinkle old coffee grounds around your plants, working the old grounds into the mulch so it’s not a huge dollop of coffee grounds. According to Karapetian, coffee grounds are actually more or less pH neutral so they are fine to put around most plants—just avoid the ones that love alkaline like Mediterranean herbs and don’t overdo it!