17 replies to this topic

[jules21158]

I've been doing some research about what you should and shouldn't put in your compost and I thought I would share the Don't with you (some might be obvious).

So hear is a list of things that should never be placed in your compost bin;

• Disposable nappies, used paper hankies and dog/cat poo - in case the pathogens which carry disease aren't all destroyed by the composting process.
  
• Meat and Fish (cooked or raw) - the smell can attrack animals.
  
• Cooked vegetables and dairy products - are not recommended.
  
• Diseased plants or pernicious weeds such as couch grass, bindweed or creeping buttercup - should be avoided.
  
• Hard objects, stones, bits of glass, metal or plastic.
  
• Cleaning fluids and other household/garden chemicals.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Caveat regarding fish-you can use shrimp shells. Just cover with older compost so critters don't dig it up.
Also-no animal bones
But cooked veggies leavings? I don't see an issue with that.
Clean paper or paper that has been shredded is good too.
(Gives the worms something to read while they eat their supper.)

[tinkerbulilit]

Wow, thanks for these helpful info! I will surely remember those and share it with my friends and relatives as well. I have not tried composting yet, but have read  lot of interesting articles about it. Will soon try it.

[Mon-Jes]

I wish these rules were posted by every compost bin everywhere. I was in Whole Foods a few years ago -- they have compost bins by the tables they have where you can eat -- and lots of people were blowing their noses into napkins and dropping them in the compost bins, including the store security guard.

I really hope in the past few years that's been fixed....

[zararina]

"Cooked vegetables and dairy products - are not recommended."  I wonder why it was not recommended since it was really good to compost food leftovers. IMO
Hard objects and chemicals should not be really be included in the compost.
Thanks for sharing.

[karmaman]

I add cooked food to my compost bin, as long as it doesn't contain meat. I've never had a problem with it, but I imagine that if you were adding a lot of food with salt or other ingredients that alter the balance of the compost it would lead to issues. We don't produce a lot of wasted cooked food because that's a waste of money. I've also added dairy, but in such small amounts because no yogurt, cheese or milk lasts long enough to go into the compost in our house.

Definitely keep pineapple out of the compost, and keep citrus fruits to a minimum. These fruits contain acids that interfere with the good bacteria in the compost turning everything safe to use on plants. Coffee grounds are a great thing to add though, since most of the acid and caffeine is gone once the coffee is brewed.

[kat74]

I didn't know about the pineapple or citrus fruits, I always put all food stuff in my pit. About the cooked vegetables, I have been doing it for ages and never thought that it could be causing any harm.This is good information and it will help me get better results with my compost

[Mon-Jes]

I hadn't heard about the citrus fruit thing either. Maybe it's because the fruit is normally gone, eaten, and it's just the peel left over? Or does even that contain too much acid?

[Germs]

Helpful for anyone who is new to this, and maybe some people who are more experienced, helped me out very much thank you.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I've been checking around on the web, and it's amazing how much misinformation is out there. More than
a few said adding manure is ok, when it's not.
It could contain pathogens and be unsafe.

Some say add citrus, some say don't. (although rinds would be ok-banana peels, peanut shells.)
Some say add oak leaves or pine needles. Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the tree. Some are so
harsh, they will kill the good bacteria you're trying to encourage.
My rule of thumb is "if in doubt, don't add it."

[MercyL]

Since we had an early frost, every leaf on every tree fallen straight down into the yard, instead of being blown off, then landing somewhere else.

Since this happens about every other year, we scoop up 2/3 of these leaves and placed them in a pile at one end of our raised flower bed, away from the end where the plants will grow. Water from snow and sunlight help breakdown the leaves, which are spread across the bed just before spring really sets in.

This hydrangeas, growing in the bed, grow twice as fast when we remember to spread the decaying material around them.

I worry, though. Might having the still decaying leaves around in the flower bed, kill the plants?

[Mon-Jes]

I think the sheet-mulching technique (aka lasagna composting) requires a couple of layers of old leaves: http://docs.google.c...LhnXhug2ZbMtX5A

So the leaves should be fine as long as they don't have pathogens on them. Sounds like they don't, that it was just the frost that got them.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I save the Sunday comics for wrapping paper. They get a laugh with their gift.

[Daisy]

I've been composting for years and there's lots and lots to learn. First year I composted I didn't keep the compost heap wet enough. I live in a dry climate and so the contents didn't 'cook.' Another time I was surprised to see a mouse in the compost heap; later a garter snake was curled on top of the heap.  Now my composter sits off the ground and I can turn it with a crank. Fallen leaves can be left around shrubs and perennials. In fact, they will help keep moisture around those plants. If you have extra time, occasionally roughing up the leaves between your hands and breaking them down into tiny particles also helps  the soil.

[MercyL]

I have seen "compost aids" at the local hardware store. I guess these products have bacteria and other active ingredients meant to speed up the composting process, sort of like the starter dough for certain breads.

Has anyone tried these products?

[artistry]

This would be a great reference page for anyone, needing to know the details of composting. Excellent contribution of interesting information on the topic.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

MercyL, on 30 November 2011 - 10:54 AM, said:

I have seen "compost aids" at the local hardware store. I guess these products have bacteria and other active ingredients meant to speed up the composting process, sort of like the starter dough for certain breads.

Has anyone tried these products?

Waste of money-glorified dirt.

[Daisy]

There's all kinds of compost aids and some of them actually work. Others are a gimmick and I'd stear clear of them. As a master gardener we get lots of questions about compost aids on our help desk and the best response we've come up with is to go to a local nursery and talk to the people working there.  Usually they'll know their products and can honestly tell you what to expect. One simple thing that I've done for years is to dig up a forkful of worms from my garden and dump it in the compost pile.  Free. Simple. Effective.