On Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:17:05 -0500, "The Henchman"
wrote:

We have indoor potted plants and trees and will soon have an indoor herb
garden, once I get off my lasy ass and build some shelving and wire some
lights.

Our water is softened and also charcoal filtered. I have since discovered
that miracle gro might not be suitable for potted plants because of the
residue it leaves behind. Therefore I am looking for a natural organic
alternative to feed potted plants with water form a water softener.

Winter is 5 months long with snow on the ground for 4 of those months so
grass clippings is not a year round solution. We have no compost bin
because our town collect food waste but is there food waste I can divert to
the pots? Coffee grounds, tea grounds, veggie scrapping from the plates?
Remember these are indoor pots so smells count, and our water source is
softened water.

Any ideas?


Don't use softened water. Is your cold water supply softened too?
Rainwater or melted snow is ideal. (Fresh water) aquarium water is
another excellent water source for plants.

Coffee grounds, veg table scraps, leaves, etc go to the compost pile,
not into potted plants (why encourage knats, roaches, mold, mice?). A
good compost pile won't have a disagreeable odor, but it still needs
to be outdoors. Our city collects kitchen waste too, but mine goes to
the compost pile rather than the city dump.

Go easy with Miracle Grow. I found that it can be very harsh on some
plants. I dilute it more than recommended, especially for potted
plants.

I have had much better success growing herbs outdoors in the full sun.