If you want to keep your plants healthy throughout the summer without using chemicals for fertilizers, composting is a great option.  Keep a container in your kitchen for your food scraps and put them in a tumbler, a homemade crate or just a big pile where your compost can do its magic.  Try to add big amounts at a time, instead of just throwing an apple core, or a banana peal one at a time on it.  If you’d like to get more material than just the food scraps from your kitchen, consider going to a local coffee shop and asking for their grounds to add to your pile.