The Friends of the Saratoga Market will soon begin accepting compost from home gardeners to donate to local farmers and community gardeners. If you are unable to use your own compost, please consider offering it free of charge to the Friends.
In the meantime, here are some basic tips for getting to know compost:
Yard waste: Any material that comes from a vegetable or flower garden or from the lawn. Herbaceous materials are preferred but small sticks and twigs will decompose if left long enough. Weeds are also considered yard waste and can be put into the compost pile.
Kitchen scraps: Anything that comes from the kitchen during food preparation. This is often referred to as pre-consumer food waste. Meats and dairy products should be avoided in a home compost bin. Vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, molded bread and coffee rinds are all food waste.
Table scraps: Anything that comes off a kitchen table after a meal. This is generally a type of compost best handled by large composting facilities. Uneaten rolls, left over salad without dressing or untouched apple slices are ok to add to a home compost pile, but if it was on someone’s plate or was cooked with oils you generally want to put it in the trash.
