We have been thrilled in recent months to see so many of you growing vegetables from your veg scraps.
At some point, you will need to replant your sprouting veggies into nutrient-rich soil.
Did you know you can make compost at home using your own food scraps instead of buying it online?
Cut your food waste even further and help save the planet with this guide to making compost at home.
If you are not familiar with compost, it is a nutrient-rich fertiliser that helps gardens grow; it's human-made and consists of decomposed material.
Compost is important because it enriches the soil, helping it to retain nutrients and water and reducing the risk of plant diseases.
Here are four ways to compost so you will never waste another morsel again.
Vermicomposting
If you’ve been composting for a while and want to take it up a notch, vermicomposting uses earthworms to eat your food waste and produce a natural, odourless, nutrient-rich fertiliser.
The process takes about three to six months, so you’ll need to be both patient and not squirmish around insects.
Vermicomposting can be done outdoors or indoors for those with very little space (think in your garage, basement, or even under the sink).
Purchase a vermicompost system or create your own with a wooden or plastic bin that has holes in the sides and bottom for ventilation and drainage.
Vermicomposters need to be raised above the ground for the excess liquid to flow out and should contain worm bedding such as shredded paper and cardboard, dry leaves or straw, and some soil.
A typical home system requires about half a kilogram of worms, which you can feed once a week by burying the food waste beneath their bedding.
Be sure to keep the moisture level of the bedding similar to a damp sponge and be careful not to feed the worms any animal products, fats, or oils.
This may mean that a lot of your food waste will still end up in your rubbish bin, or you can add it to a separate compost heap.
Bokashi
Bokashi composting was first developed in Japan, where landfill is not an option.
The term ‘Bokashi’ means ‘fermented organic matter in Japanese and, true to its name, it involves a process of fermentation where microorganisms known as ‘Bokashi’ are added to food waste in airtight containers.
The microorganisms stop the food waste from rotting and smells, resulting in a material that is ready to compost without odour, in an accelerated time.
Bokashi bran can be bought in the store or you can make your own at home using water, molasses, milk, rice, an old t-shirt or cheesecloth, and a carbon base (such as shredded paper or sawdust).
It will take approximately three weeks for these ingredients to ferment and a further two weeks for the Bokashi bran to be ready for use, so you’ll need to be extra patient with this method.
At-home compost pile
The cheapest way to start your composting journey is to add your food and garden waste to a pile that’s at least 1m high and placed in a shady area, away from direct sunlight.
Add a bit of water as you add items so the mixture can ferment naturally.
The pile needs to be turned and watered regularly, and you can add anything from dead leaves, branches, twigs, and grass clippings to vegetable waste, fruit scraps, tea bags, and coffee grounds.
If you have a lot of coffee grounds, you can neutralise them with fire ash.
Avoid adding pet waste, meat and fish scraps, dairy items, oils, paper towels, and other non-organic matter and chemicals to the compost pile.
Once the material at the bottom of your pile is dark and moist, the compost is ready to be used in your garden.
Collection services
If you’re not keen on creating your own compost heap or don’t have the space, a collection service is a great way to compost.
Essentially, you’ll collect your food waste over a week or a couple of weeks, it will be collected and composted.
Remember that around 90% of food waste is water and this can end up being messy or smelly, so try to stick to your schedule or avoid this method when collection periods will be longer than two weeks.
Companies such as Clearer in Cape Town and The Compost Kitchen in Joburg offer subscription services where you’ll be provided with a food waste collection bin, and the resulting compost will be returned to you.
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.