How to Turn Juice Pulp Into Black Gold in 3 Easy Steps

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How to Turn Juice Pulp Into Black Gold in 3 Easy Steps

Do you juice? I started juicing a couple of years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s is so yummy, and healthy, as long as you juice more veggies than fruit (I aim for at least 80% veggie to fruit ratio). Juicing is a natural way to make sure I get those all important vitamins and minerals into my diet. My current favorite juice contains one small green apple, a bunch of kale, parsley, ginger and lemon. It’s good stuff.

But, as much as I love juicing, I hate throwing away all the left over pulp. It just seems like a crime to let it all go to waste. So, since my garden is in desperate need of some TLC, I thought I’d give composting a try. I should note, I do not have a green thumb, in fact, I have the opposite of a green thumb. Is that a dry brown thumb or a dead thumb? You know what I mean, I tend to kill whatever I try to grow. But, this year, I’m opening myself to new possibilities, and I’ve decided to try recycling the all that pulp into something useful.

Composting can turn your juicing pulp and scraps into a nutrient rich fertilizer for your garden (what gardener’s refer to as black gold).

It’s easy, too. Just follow these three steps:

1. Make or buy a compost bin.

I asked my handy-dandy husband to build me a compost bin with some fence post I bought at the hardware store. I spent a total of $24 for all the materials. If you’re not up to building one, you can always buy one. In fact, you don’t even really need a bin, a hole in the ground will work, too, but you’ll need to cover it so birds and other critters can’t get into it. If you do decide to build one, keep in mind the optimal size is 3x3x3 cubic feet. The bottom panel of the one we built has hinges on it so I can open it and remove the compost from the bottom of the pile when it’s ready.

2. Collect your scraps.

I collect the pulp in a small compost container that sits on my kitchen counter. Almost any container will work, you can even use an old plastic coffee container. Just make sure it has a lid, so it doesn’t stink up your kitchen. And speaking of coffee, did you know you can compost coffee grinds as well? Below are some common things that you can compost:

Fruit & vegetable scraps
Coffee grinds
Egg shells
Grass clippings
Leaves and straw
Shredded newspaper

The trick here is to mix equal parts green stuff (things that are high in nitrogen, e.g. fruit, veggies, coffee grinds) with equal parts brown stuff (things that are high in carbon, like dried leaves).

3. Turn and water your pile.

Just add your scraps to the pile, turn it every few days and let the earthworms do the rest! The earthworms actually eat the scraps and excrete the nutritious soil. Every few days, I make sure to add sufficient dried leaves and turn everything over a few times. Water as needed, as the compost pile should remain a little moist.

*Tips for the cold, winter season:

Add a layer of brown ingredients over your pile to help trap the heat inside.
Don’t turn. It’s better not to disturb the layer of insulation. You can mix things up when the temperature warms.
Make sure the pile is moist. Cold temperatures can dry things out.