mr.d Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Items You Can Compost A passionate composter and urban farmer, Sayward knows compost. What comes as a surprise to you on this list? Posted by Sayward Rebhal Home composting isn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 You can compost almost anything that will rot but some of it is ill advised. Jams and jellies are going to attract bears, which will tear you compost heap to bits including whatever container you have it in. Ditto dog food and fish food and if they contain fats they will make your compost heap smell bad. You should never compost meat products. A lot of that stuff is going to attract rats and mice. Some of it will bring in flies, which aren't all bad from the composter's view but who wants to live with them. Compost heaps need a balanced selection of "green" and "brown" materials or you will not get proper composting and there will be an odor. All of those paper products would be considered brown and there would have to be some grass clippings or something to get them composting. Interesting list that reminds us that everything (almost) can be recycled but I think it wasn't made by a farmer, who probably wouldn't even consider tossing his used condoms on the compost heap. Ick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMJ77 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 57,67,72,73,76....eew, yuck....just sayin, not in my garden 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 #31 just makes me sad . . . seems like such a waste! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridget76 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 #31 just makes me sad . . . seems like such a waste! :rofl::shots: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Some composters swear by tossing beer on the compost heap to get it going. Never tried it as I don't think I could get away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSTeach Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I knew about quite a few of the items, but a few at the end made me :HM: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Everything from nature goes back to soil eventually but some of the bacteria may not be so friendly in the long run. The dead flies and condoms will never hit my compost! Anything that comes from an animal should go to the dump. Add it at your own risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memaws haven Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 How do you make compost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 You let bacteria and fungi work on organic materials and turn them into soil. You can go complex or simple, with a bin or just pile up all organic wastes staying away from animal products. You need to keep a proper green/brown or carbon/nitrogen ratio so the bacteria will work but it isn't all that hard. Just piling up all of your dead leaves and grass clippings and adding your kitchen scraps works fine. Keep it damp but not wet and turn it once in a while to get some air into the mix. Stay small or it is difficult to turn. Things will get hot after a while, the materials will break down, the worms will move in and you will have a nice mix to add to your garden. Here are a couple of web sites that give the details. My compost heap is available for viewing at any time http://www.howtocompost.org/ http://www.composting101.com/how-it-works.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccermom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Everything from nature goes back to soil eventually but some of the bacteria may not be so friendly in the long run. The dead flies and condoms will never hit my compost! Anything that comes from an animal should go to the dump. Add it at your own risk. I'll just bet there are already dead flies, as well as various other insects, in people's compost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMJ77 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 doesnt mean I need to add more though 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccermom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 doesnt mean I need to add more though 8) Why not? They're very high in protein! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Every bug that feeds on decaying material is in that compost heap and then they die and get fed on in their turn. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. It's how good top soil is made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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