azigni wrote:

Just a silly thought turned question. Where I live the soil is empty of
almost everything plants need to grow. I was thinking about nothing as I
went to get a banana from the kitchen.

The banana's are nicely ripe. The thought popped into my head that
instead of throwing over ripe bananas away I could peel them and mix the
mush into soil around plants and bushes? Any thoughts or experience doing
this? tia.

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

Free municipal compost is as bad as it gets for home gardens...
typically rife with chemicals of a carcinogen nature... composed
primarilly of brush cleared from along roadways, saturated with
traffic exhaust and dumpings of oils and assorted chemicals... seeds
and insects is the least of the problems. Never take free municipal
mulch either.

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

Pesticides? I'd like to se verification of that. Never heard of it.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many homeowners
allow their grass clippings to be collected and the insecticide, weed
killers and broad herbicides that they use wind up in there.

We do not eat hat many bananas and the skins to not contain enough
pesticides to prevent me from chucking them in my own compost,
however.

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 10:35:42 AM UTC-7, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

Pesticides? I'd like to se verification of that. Never heard of it.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many homeowners
allow their grass clippings to be collected and the insecticide, weed
killers and broad herbicides that they use wind up in there.

We do not eat hat many bananas and the skins to not contain enough
pesticides to prevent me from chucking them in my own compost,
however.

These comments about "polluted" municipal compost are indeed food for thought and I will ask the City about the issue. But I wonder whether treating yard waste at the high temperatures they say wouldn't be enough to "kill" or neutralize the bad things cited on this thread.

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 20:41:43 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 10:35:42 AM UTC-7, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

Pesticides? I'd like to se verification of that. Never heard of it.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many homeowners
allow their grass clippings to be collected and the insecticide, weed
killers and broad herbicides that they use wind up in there.

We do not eat hat many bananas and the skins to not contain enough
pesticides to prevent me from chucking them in my own compost,
however.

These comments about "polluted" municipal compost are indeed food for thought and I will ask the City about the issue. But I wonder whether treating yard waste at the high temperatures they say wouldn't be enough to "kill" or neutralize the bad things cited on this thread.


You need a certain sustaining of temp to encourage decomposition but
not so hot that you kill off the good microorganisms, but I have never
seen anything that says composting destroys garden chems. I am happy
to read any articles about it, though.

Lots of info here.

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html

Boron Elgar wrote:

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 20:41:43 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 10:35:42 AM UTC-7, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

Pesticides? I'd like to se verification of that. Never heard of it.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many homeowners
allow their grass clippings to be collected and the insecticide, weed
killers and broad herbicides that they use wind up in there.

We do not eat hat many bananas and the skins to not contain enough
pesticides to prevent me from chucking them in my own compost,
however.

These comments about "polluted" municipal compost are indeed food for thought and I will ask the City about the issue. But I wonder whether treating yard waste at the high temperatures they say wouldn't be enough to "kill" or neutralize the bad things cited on this thread.

You need a certain sustaining of temp to encourage decomposition but
not so hot that you kill off the good microorganisms, but I have never
seen anything that says composting destroys garden chems. I am happy
to read any articles about it, though.

The pamphlet included with my composter warned against adding bananas
stating that they ferment before they compost, which produces alcohol
which in turn kills/repels the bacteria responsible for composting.
Adding bananas to the mix will greatly slow down the process. If one
wants they can compost bananas separately or with other items that
ferment and produce alcohol, like pineapple rinds. It also warned
against adding corn cobs and corn husks to the mix as they take so
long to break down that they will need to be picked out after
everything else is fully composted, it's best to compost corn
cobs/husks separately and separately from each other.
Everything composts/breaks down, even chemicals, but not at the same
rate, some items take so long it's simply not practical and/or can be
detrimental to gardening, which is why warnings are posted about how
to discard unused drugs rather than adding to the environment. Also
municipal compost/mulch may contain molds/fungi that will kill
desirable plants, especially particular trees... very difficult to
treat/eradicate, maybe never. One should be careful about where they
obtain fruit trees, be certain they're from a reputable nursery, don't
look for bargains from small independants, especially when
balled/burlaped or potted (that soil can be sick), it's much safer to
obtain bare root specimens from the large mail order nurseries.

Lots of info here.

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html

Boron Elgar writes:

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 20:41:43 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 10:35:42 AM UTC-7, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:27:17 -0700 (PDT), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4:10:31 PM UTC-7, azigni wrote:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

I don't add them to my compost pile as I thought the peels were full of
insecticide, etc?

However it is OK to put them into MUNICIPAL compost. Our city
encourages food waste to be deposited in yard waste cans. They
responded to my inquiry about meat and fat -- usually a no-no in
home compost -- by pointing out that the yard waste cum compost
is treated at such a high temperature that it can handle no-nos.

Pesticides? I'd like to se verification of that. Never heard of it.

The result, BTW, is rich compost that is free to residents on a
quarterly basis. People line up in their cars & trucks and load
all kind of containers with this fab compost.

I am unabashedly sentimental about this community event!!

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many homeowners
allow their grass clippings to be collected and the insecticide, weed
killers and broad herbicides that they use wind up in there.

We do not eat hat many bananas and the skins to not contain enough
pesticides to prevent me from chucking them in my own compost,
however.

These comments about "polluted" municipal compost are indeed food for
thought and I will ask the City about the issue. But I wonder
whether treating yard waste at the high temperatures they say
wouldn't be enough to "kill" or neutralize the bad things cited on
this thread.


You need a certain sustaining of temp to encourage decomposition but
not so hot that you kill off the good microorganisms, but I have never
seen anything that says composting destroys garden chems. I am happy
to read any articles about it, though.

Lots of info here.

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html

In general, allowed chemicals do not remain toxic for long times
in the environment. That's how DDT got banned.

But it's trendy now to fear everything. OMG, that stuff contains
CHEMICALS. Run and hide.

Face it, put 9 billion people on the planet, and pretty soon we're all
taking in each others waste products. No way around it.
Composting breaks lots of stuff down, the bacteria have a field day.

Here are meal worms breaking down styrofoam:

http://tinyurl.com/qz3jdqx

Then, if you are growing edibles, the plants themselves are selective
about the compounds they take out of the soil.

Personally, I think a lot of people are fooling themselves, thinking
they can eat their way to health. You need to stay active.
Any crap you eat, a healthy body can process.

--
Dan Espen

Boron Elgar wrote:
These comments about "polluted" municipal compost are indeed food
for thought and I will ask the City about the issue. But I wonder
whether treating yard waste at the high temperatures they say
wouldn't be enough to "kill" or neutralize the bad things cited on
this thread.


You need a certain sustaining of temp to encourage decomposition but
not so hot that you kill off the good microorganisms, but I have never
seen anything that says composting destroys garden chems. I am happy
to read any articles about it, though.

Seattle and LA apparently had problems with one chemical.
http://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/27/local/me-18323

On 9/30/2015 12:35 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many
homeowners allow their grass clippings to be collected and the
insecticide, weed killers and broad herbicides that they use wind
up in there.

Most residential pesticides have fairly short half-lives, generally in
terms of days or weeks, so the typical insecticides and herbicides
applied by homeowners will break down during the composting process.
The more common problem with community compost is the amount of trash
within it, as so many people neglect to remove wire twist ties, plant
markers, etc. when cleaning out their gardens. Communities where
property owners rake their leaves into the gutters for city vacuum
machines to collect and dump also end up with larger bits of trash
sucked up with the leaves, such as can and bottles.

On the bright side, it is still better than no compost at all.

On Mon, 05 Oct 2015 15:56:59 -0500, Moe DeLoughan
wrote:

On 9/30/2015 12:35 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:

I have always hesitated to use community composts, as many
homeowners allow their grass clippings to be collected and the
insecticide, weed killers and broad herbicides that they use wind
up in there.

Most residential pesticides have fairly short half-lives, generally in
terms of days or weeks, so the typical insecticides and herbicides
applied by homeowners will break down during the composting process.
The more common problem with community compost is the amount of trash
within it, as so many people neglect to remove wire twist ties, plant
markers, etc. when cleaning out their gardens. Communities where
property owners rake their leaves into the gutters for city vacuum
machines to collect and dump also end up with larger bits of trash
sucked up with the leaves, such as can and bottles.

On the bright side, it is still better than no compost at all.

A lot of what is mentioned below is only supposed to be used in
commercial settings, but I that doesn't stop stupid or ignorant home
owners from using chems that are not safe and do not break down
easily.

And yes, there is lots of trash in there, too.

https://extension.umd.edu/learn/gard...ost-and-manure

http://www.motherjones.com/environme...s-your-compost

http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/f09Herbicide

I have a small garden and have no problem making enough compost for
it. I do not consider myself any sort of organic freak or woo-woo
gardener and I have certainly used stronger chems at times, but in my
case, I know what they are, how to use them, exactly where in the
garden I have used them and I know what can and cannot go near the
compost.

It isn't loony chemical aversion that stops me from using community
compost, it is dummies.

When it comes to the chemical side of bananas it is what chemicals were
used, sprayed or otherwise introduced that are long term toxic and
illegal in many countries.

A small banana farmer may not be too concerned about safety over
quantity. It may mean the difference between thriving and surviving.

In article
azigni writes:
On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 15:38:02 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:

Bananas do not compost well, mostly they rot/ferment and stink... over
ripe bananas are good for baking (banana bread/muffins), over ripe
bananas can be frozen for delicious snacks... also bananas make great
dildos.

Thanks, I was thinking of the potassium in bananas, but never heard of
anyone mixing them right into the soil. The meal ideas sound great too!

Ignore Brooklyn's nonsense. Throw everything into the compost pile
or soil (sometimes called "sheet composting" -- talk to songbird).

I've never personally noticed a composting problem with bananas,
and my wife used to buy a lot of them (and eat 3/4 of those). The
peels, exposed on the surface, seem slow to break down, but inside
the pile, like butter.


--
Drew Lawson | What is an "Oprah"?
| -- Teal'c
|

Drew Lawson wrote:
....
I've never personally noticed a composting problem with bananas,
and my wife used to buy a lot of them (and eat 3/4 of those). The
peels, exposed on the surface, seem slow to break down, but inside
the pile, like butter.

if you're worried about pesticides in bananas
harming your compost you could always buy organic
bananas...

i've been worm composting banana peels for years
now and the worms take care of them fairly quickly.
if you bury them in the bins they don't smell or
cause any issues apart from the common sense ones
you'll develop as you learn how to worm compost.

the issues of fermenting and causing problems
would be if you put a huge amount of them in a
very small bin all at once which can overload it.
but if you have that much to do you can refrigerate
it or freeze chunks of it and add it over time to
give the system time to digest it.

my response here to peak demand loads is to
keep enough bins of worms to handle them. so when
Ma decides to make fruit salad for a hundred i
have enough bins to put all the scraps in at one
shot. no smell, no mess, just some time spent
cutting things up so they fit and the worms take
care of it all in a few days or a few weeks/months
depending upon what it is (melon rinds are gone
within days, pineapple tops and cores may take a
few months).


songbird