Question
We have a number of citrus trees; lemon, lime and orange. I liked to compost as much as possible, but I've read that citrus rinds shouldn't be added to worm boxes or standard compost bins. Is there another way to compost that works for citrus rinds? Also, which plants would benefits from citrus compost?
Anne
Greenbrae
Answer
It is true that Citrus should not be added to worm bins regularly because they create too acidic an environment for the worms. Even then, an occasional peel would not break the farm. There is nothing wrong with adding Citrus to regular compost as long as you provide enough carbon (brown) to balance the nitrogen (green) of the oranges. The resulting compost will be on the acid side so would be ideal for alkaline soils, and for use around acid plants such as Azalea, Rhododendron, fern, Hydrangea, Gardenia and Camellias. You might consider starting a separate pile so that you are "manufacturing" 2 separate mixes.
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