There's a Potato in my Compost!

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There's a potato in my compost! 

Well, I put it there, but I didn't expect it to sprout up and become a baby potato plant before my eyes. But here we are. I was a lazy composter a few weeks ago, and when I found some squishy potatoes in the back of my pantry, I threw them in. 

So now what? Is this baby plant going to affect my compost? Can I transplant it for some baby potatoes in my garden? Let's talk about it. 

Potatoes grow underground, as they are a root vegetable. Given this, it makes sense that they didn't mind my dark compost pot. After asking around, it's not an uncommon occurrence. I also learned that ultimately, growing potatoes won't hurt my compost. In fact, a plant growing in your compost is often a sign that your compost is either finished or getting very close to finished (which I believe was the case for me). If this doesn't seem to be the case for you, it could also mean that your compost isn't getting hot enough, and it needs to be turned. 

Now, regarding the fate of that potato plant; it is not going to find a new home in my garden. Growing in the compost bin, where mold is a common sight, the potato could have come in contact with rotting food, bacteria, or fungus that could make you sick. So, I chopped it up and returned the organics material to my compost. Sorry, baby potato plant!

What have you found growing in your compost?


Blogger: Sam Plante  



Comments

  1. TamraAugust 14, 2024 at 12:52 PM

    Just for the volume I tend to throw all the 'pits' in the compost - peach, plum, nectarine & avocado but only the avocado has sprouted while still in the bin. It all gets turned often so has plenty of opportunity to decompose repeatedly. This year i also have a tomato plant sprouting just outside the bin. Don't 5hink it has enough sun to flower

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  2. JackieAugust 15, 2024 at 4:03 PM

    I also found 2 avocado plants growing in my compost this year. I transplanted them and 1 is doing well.

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  3. AnonymousAugust 15, 2024 at 6:39 PM

    I'm interested in your composting pot. Can you tell me about it?

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    Replies
    1. Michelle August 19, 2024 at 4:28 AM

      I've been using terracotta pots to compost food scraps, layering the scraps with cocopeat. It's a little different than bin style composting, but most core elements are the same. There is a blog where I describe the process in more detail here: https://confessionsofacomposter.blogspot.com/2024/04/composting-in-terracotta.html . It's a great system if you do not produce a lot of food scraps (one or two person household) or have a limited amount of space available for composting.

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