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Questions often get answered as quickly as the same day.
If you’d like to learn more about the entire composting process in a quick and easy 41 pages, check out my book, How To Compost: Everything You Need To Know To Start Composting, And Nothing You Don’t!
Will bamboo, having been run through a good quality wood chipper, sprout if put in a compost pile? If so how about if I only put the stalks in after the green leaves have been trimmed off. I get a lot, having to contain neighbor intrusion. I’m in Alamo, California. Thanks
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I’m not a bamboo expert, but I would think that bamboo that has been run through a chipper wouldn’t sprout again.
As you’ve probably seen, bamboo is really hard and tough. It can be very difficult to compost, because it is wood-like. Chipping it is the best way to make it break down the fastest, but I think it will still be very, very slow to break down.
I live in Massachusetts and we have a few acres of land so we have a dump spot for grass clippings, leaves, weeds, and the wood shavings from my rabbit cage. It is okay to just add coffee grounds and eggshells and other kitchen waste materials? Also, isn’t it good to throw those things in the dump because it will help make decomposing go quicker?
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Kitchen scraps can attract pests such as rodents. So yes, you can add all of that stuff to your spot and it will break down just fine. But you’d want to bury the kitchen scraps deeper into the pile, or compost them separately in an enclosed bin, if you are concerned with pests.
Do you mean the municipal landfill when you say the dump? Composting your own organic waste extends the life of municipal landfills, because you aren’t adding more stuff to them. The EPA confirms this here:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/benefits.htm
How do you reduce/eliminate fruit flies in kitchen compost???
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You mean the pail that you keep in the kitchen to collect scraps, right?
Take it out more often, or store it in the refrigerator.
Vegetable scraps don’t attract things as much as fruit does, so you can just make sure you dump it out more often whenever you add fruit.
I am short on carbon these days till the leaves start falling. I am just piling up grass clippings and veggie scraps, but not watering or turning for now, pending the arrival of the autumn leaf harvest. Is there anything I should be concerned about in this approach. Can I just wait for 6 weeks or so and then start composting this stuff in earnest? What about using non-natural sources of carbon like newspaper? Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Thanks for this great website. I soaked the seeds as per your instructions. It is giving me a lot more plant material to work with!
Another Q, related to this issue of summer composting with little natural carbon. Are there any downsides to just going ahead with lots of grass clippings and kitchen scraps and composting with that and only a few brown leaves? I think I read somewhere that too much nitrogen can leave the pile with an unpleasant smell. Thanks for your advice.
I’ve got a compost barrel that apparently has ‘special mixing fins’ to break up clumps. However, they aren’t doing a darn thing, and most of my compost is in perfect balls/clumps.
How bad is this?
What can I do inside the bin to stop this from happening in the first place?
What can I do inside the bin to break up the balls now that they’ve formed?
Thanks – great site!
Kevin
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Usually, if you get clumps like that in a tumbler, you’ve probably got too many nitrogen rich materials like kitchen scraps, and not enough carbon rich materials like leaves. They’re nice and moist, so they clump up like that as you tumble.
I wouldn’t worry about the existing clumps. They’ll eventually turn into compost too. I’d just add a lot more dry, carbon rich materials to your tumbler, and I think that should solve your problem.
If you really wanted to, you could dump them out, stomp them flat (or let them dry out in the sun), and throw them back in the bin. That’s probably not necessary though.
Autumn is just around the corner, so you might save a few extra bags of leaves in the garage to continue using during the rest of the year when there aren’t as many leaves available.
my first year composting. when do i stop the process? by Oct. in Mn it starts to freeze. should i stop composting so material can breakdown?
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When there is a hard freeze, the composting process can slow down or come to a complete stop. But when it starts to warm up again, it will start breaking down again.
I’d probably just keep going with it until it freezes. At that point, you can still add materials to your bin, but they will just sit there and stack up inside the bin until it warms up enough for the composting process to start up again. So you can either keep adding, or stop adding until winter is over.
Hello,
Boulder County, Colorado, has pledged to a Zero Waste effort, both commercially and privately. We compost curbside at home, and at the office.
A question that continues to come up is: can you compost those darn handy-wipes? They seem to be made of paper, but they’re soaked in those chemicals. If they dry, are they safe to compost?
Thanks,
Michael in Boulder
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Since those chemicals are safe to use to wipe your skin, I don’t think they would harm anything in the compost pile.
I would probably just do a test run and put three or four of them in there, and see if they break down pretty quickly.
My real concern would be that they’re made out of some plastic-y or petroleum kind of product that isn’t actually paper, and won’t break down. It would be a pain to try and dig 50 of those out of your otherwise finished compost.
Maybe call the 800 number listed on the box for that brand and ask if they are biodegradable? If so, then I’d say safe to compost.
But like any composting ingredient, you want to be careful not to overload your bin or pile with too much of a single thing, because that’s going to slow down your composting significantly.
Can you compost sunflower seed shells? Also, I haven’t been composting long and since I live in an apartment I’ve been dumping my veggie cuttings into a big plastic planter with some old soil. It’s working – the soil has gotten back its rich black color (as opposed to being off-black/almost charcoal grey color) but after reading about compost and keeping a balance between carbon & nitrogen products, now I’m wondering if I’m keeping such a balance and how to know. Like I said, I’ve been using vegetables and more recently coffee grounds – am I correct in assuming those are carbon? Now books and this site has given me the idea of shredding newspaper and using that. Would that be nitrogen? Thanks for your help!
Julie
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You should not compost them if they were salted, because you’ll end up salting your whole compost pile. And salt isn’t any good for gardening!
If they are not salted, they can be composted. But they’ll take a really long time to break down, so I would only add limited amounts.
Vegetable scraps and coffee grounds are both nitrogen rich, and newspaper is carbon rich. (I think you were on the right track and probably just switched the words by mistake.) Leaves make a better carbon rich material than newspaper. But newspaper still works if you don’t have anything else.
Hey, just curious about this compostinstructions.com website.
Who sponsors the site? If it’s just one individual’s impressive effort to promote composting, what’s your background? I’d like to make sure the information I gleen from this site comes from a credible source.
Thanks.
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Here’s our About Us page. https://www.compostinstructions.com/about/
I am certified in Texas as a master composter.
This is probably an incredibly dumb question, but I really don’t know the answer. So we really have no garden to speak of but I am interested in composting, at least composting all the kitchen scraps I accumulate daily. I want to get one of those countertop pail things. However, since I don’t have any need for the compost itself, what can I do with the scraps that I have in the pail? Do I need to get a special “composting” container? If I do so, what do I do with the resulting compost since I really don’t need it? I told you it was a dumb question!!
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That’s actually a very good question. I’m sure a lot of people are asking the same thing.
A compost pail is really just a short term holding device where you capture your food scraps and hold them until you take them someplace to actually MAKE the compost.
There are a few different options for indoor composting. You can see some of them here:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/indoor-composters.html
You can use one of those NatureMill automatic indoor composters. They work fairly well, but they are expensive.
You can vermicompost. But some people don’t like having a worm bin in the house. If you add too many fruit scraps, you can attract fruit flies and it gets gross.
Or you can compost with bokashi, in a sealed bucket. That works well, as long as you add enough bokashi so that it doesn’t stink.
At the end of the process, you’ll still have to figure out what to do with your finished compost. If there are shrubs or flowerbeds at your condo or apartment complex, you could put the finished compost there. Or you could offer it to any friends that have yards or gardens.
HOpe you can spare time to answer a Q from a composting newbie. I cleaned gutters today. We have several myrtle trees over hanging our roof. As a result, we have gotten a lot of blossoms etc falling into the gutter. I hadn’t looked at the gutters for months, but when I did this morning they were filled with nice earthy stuff that looked just like compost! I am assuming this is the decomposed myrtle blossoms. Are there any reasons NOT to just add this stuff to the compost bin? There is some sediment in the gutters from rain running off the roof also. Thanks for taking a moment to answer this one.
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That stuff that comes out of the gutters is usually already finished compost, so it usually doesn’t need to be added to a compost pile. You can typically spread it as-is in your flowerbeds, on your lawn, or wherever you’d typically use finished compost.
However, it won’t hurt to throw it into your compost pile. Especially if it looks like it isn’t completely broken down. But usually, it’s already ready to go when you scoop it out of the gutters.
Hi do you recommend the use of compost produced by the local Council re-cycling center?
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I don’t know the specifics of your situation.
But many cities, counties or municipalities will pick up organic materials like grass clippings and tree branches and other things. They will compost them on an industrial scale. And then they will sell or give away compost by the bag or by the truckload to local citizens.
I have purchased an entire truckload of compost in my own area here in Dallas, Texas. I had it delivered to my house in a dump truck, and then spread it on my lawn. It really made a big difference.
So in general, I recommend the practice.
Thanks so much! Yeah, it looks like its all cooked and ready to go. elongated compost pits under my eaves–who woulda thought it? 🙂
Can I add tortoises waste to the compose pile?
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I’m not sure about that one.
I would probably recommend burying it instead of composting.
I believe that Iguanas, for example, can carry E Coli. So I would be worried that other reptiles might carry it too.
I use food grade diatomaceous earth in my chicken coop. So the DE gets mixed in with the chicken poop when I collect it and add it to my composter. Will this kill the microbes needed to break down the material? Thanks so much for your terrific website–it is very helpful.
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I think DE mostly just kills insects, and is not anti-microbial. So I don’t think it will hurt the microbes in the compost. I think it should fine, and shouldn’t affect your compost at all.
PLEASE I have what looks like and smells like raw sewage spewing out of my tumbler. Is there a number I can call to talk to someone live??
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Compost that stinks, or compost that is liquidy typically indicates too many nitrogen rich materials, and not enough carbon rich materials. Are you composting a lot of fruit and vegetable scraps, and not much else?
Your solution will probably be to add a lot more carbon rich material to your tumbler. Fill it completely full of leaves. They’ll start to pack down in a matter of days. If you don’t have leaves, you can make do with shredded newspaper.
Help! In my backyard we’re doing worm-less composting. This is our first time, and we haven’t had any problems until recently… we’ve been noticing these black… worms? They’re about 1-1.5 inches long. We’ve NEVER seen them before and I’m pretty sure its cos of the compost. Why is this happening, and how can i fix this? It rained today and the worms were EVERYWHERE, like a horror movie. 🙁
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Some bugs or larvae in compost are normal, and nothing to be alarmed about. They are drawn to the material breaking down as a food source, and help with the composting process.
A compost pile on the ground can also attract earthworms right out of the ground, who will climb in from below, eat, and then leave again when they’re ready.
Two Questions:
1. I put the coconut strands from the planters into my compost bin last year and for some reason they did not decompose??
2. I have a wood burning stove. Can the ash that remains be used for
compost
Thanks in advance
Ernie
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1. Coconut is very tough, and takes a long time to break down. To speed it up, you can shred it and mix it with a lot of nitrogen rich materials. If it’s all bunched up together, it would break down slower.
2. You can add VERY LIMITED amounts of ash from a wood burning stove. Too much will change the pH of your compost and potentially ruin in. But NEVER try to compost charcoal ash, which can contain toxic materials.
can you use shredded newspaper in compost or does the ink have lead in it?
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Yes, you can use shredded newspaper. Both color and black and white, as long as it is newsprint.
You want to avoid the slick, glossy inserts though, because those can have toxins in the ink.
I don’t think they use lead in any kind of printed materials any more though.
Hi Lars and Jim,
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog “Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer”.
I find your two blogs to be remarkably clear and helpful, even though I am an experienced composter and organic gardener. They have gone in to my “favourites”.
One thing I have to say now – I have never seen anybody else on composting sites mention what follows. Do not compost whole tea bags! I have a wormery and after several years I discovered that there were layers of a fine net-like substance which the worms could not deal with. It proved to be “ghosts” of teabags. I did some research and found out that most, if not all, tea bags have a percentage of polyester fibres in the paper – this is so the manufacturers can heat seal them during production. The worms eat the cellulose but (obviously!) leave the polyester. After finding that out, I now let the tea bag cool down a little, rip it open then pour the leaves into my compost caddy. I have to dump the bag itself.
The “skeletons” are not very noticeable in ordinary compost heaps because of the turning process, which crumples the “skeletons” up but most organic gardeners I know don’t want any plastic in their black gold!
Perhaps you might like to publicise this problem more widely on your more specialised blogs?
Here is a link to a blogpost I did about this a while back worms tea bags and tissues
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Thanks for the link to your blog post.
I had not run into that issue with tea bags before — or at least not noticed it!
Another nice blog in here. So informative and pro-environment. Composting is something that people can do in their own household, managing their wastes properly and thereby helping the environment. There’s no other time to help mother earth but now. Keep me posted and will try to link this one with my own blog. Thanks!
We are buying a property with some acreage and plan on starting a good sized organic home garden, as well as keep chickens. I’ve read that compost can be ‘ready’ if using chicken poop in about 120 days if turned biweekly (there was a study analyzing sawdust amended with chix poop). There are some existing trenches on the periphery of our property that I am considering for composting.
Do you think it is possible to successfully compost by using four 3 ft long trenches and composting in each trench for two months, then moving on to the next trench, so that by the time you’re on the last trench, the first is ready for use? What about critters? Should an ‘open’ heap be covered with a tarp (maybe with holes poked in it)? Is composting in a trench, without planning to ‘bury’ the compost with soil, a generally bad idea? Warm regards, ~Shoshana
@Shoshana,
I think that your plan sounds pretty good.
I would either leave the trench open like you are planning, or cover it with a thin layer of dirt when you move on to the next trench. I don’t think I’d try to deal with a tarp, because it’s questionable whether or not it would even help.
As long as you aren’t worried about the look of an open trench, or something getting into it, there’s no harm in doing it uncovered.
Since I’m unable to locate a “Contact Us” link, I’ll post my comment with the hope that it gets to the right person — many thanks. I have a book published this Fall entitled:
“Grow Your Own Tree Hugger:
101 Activities to Teach Your Child How to Live Green”
On page 29, I make reference to your helpful website in the “Above and Beyond” section of my “Invite Some Worms to Dinner” activity. I just thought I’d let you know – full information on http://www.wendyrosenoff.com, including reviews. Thanks for your valuable information. — Wendy
I have about 13 douglas fir trees and a cherry tree in my yard so I don’t get much sun. I know you said you don’t need full sun, but in the summer I think there is practically no sun. In the winter when the cherry tree looses it’s leaves there is some sun. I’m in Portland, OR so it only gets below freezing a few times a year usually.
Does it matter what color of rotating composter I buy? I found a used Compact Compos Tumbler that is light green. Or should I buy the Achla CMP-05 Spinning Horizontal Composter, which is black?
Thank you so much for your advise!
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I don’t think that color is very important in the grand scheme of things.
I would get the one that has the best capacity for the money if it were me. Either one of those bins is pretty good, so I don’t think you can go wrong.
Compost generates its own heat as the materials break down. If you have a good mix of carbon rich and nitrogen rich materials, you can generate temperatures as high as 120 to 160 degrees F.
The guy who taught my master composter training course showed us a photograph of a compost pile with a layer of snow on top, with a compost thermometer stuck in it. The temperature inside the pile was 130 degrees!
Thanks so much!!!!!
I have what looks like pine trees in my yard, one in front, and one in back. Thing is, they are not evergreen. Their needles drop off in the fall and form quite the carpet on my lawn. I have been composting deciduous leaves now for about a year and having good success. If I grind up these brown needles (which are not touch like regular pine needles), can I add them to the compost pile? Thanks for letting me know.
This is a great service to all of us trying to do our bit to freshen our gardens and reduce waste going into the community trash truck… Thanks for taking time to answer our beginner questions!
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Yes, you can compost these needles.
But very dense or woody materials take the longest to break down into finished compost.
1. They’ll break down faster if you shred them into the smallest possible pieces.
2. They’ll break down faster if you have a lot of nitrogen rich material to mix in with them.
3. They’ll break down faster if you don’t try to compost too many of them all together at once.
It might be one of those things where you compost some of it at home, and send the rest off with other materials that will be composted at the municipal level, if your city collects yard debris and composts it on a massive level.
Can I add old jack o lanterns and pumpkins to my compost bin?
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Yes!
Pumpkins make a great nitrogen rich material to add to your compost bin.
I not only added mine, but also the rotting jack o lanterns of neighbors who wanted to get rid of them. They start out huge, but they break down very quickly so that you can’t even recognize the pieces within just a week or two.
ok here’s the deal. We live in washington state. the winters are cold and rainy. We need to start our science project within the next two weeks. how do we keep the compost warm enough through the winter without having to buy something super expensive?
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Build a bigger pile, with enough nitrogen rich materials. I would shoot for something 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet tall.
Compost generates its own heat as it breaks down, and bigger piles generate more heat. So your best bet to do well starting in the rain and cold is to build a big enough pile. Try for around 75 percent leaves, and 25 percent nitrogen rich materials. Coffee grounds and vegetable scraps or green grass clippings work well as nitrogen rich materials.
Good luck!
I will be composting on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the Rain forest. As far as I know, composting is like ringing the dinner bell for many species of insects, spiders, and others. Are there steps that can be taken to minimize the attraction of composting to our jungle neighbors.
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I have two possible answers to that. One is that if you are composting well, you’re going to generate a lot of heat that wouldn’t allow bugs to live IN the compost, although they might be nearby or around the edges. I say that without ever having composted near a rain forest though, so I recognize this might not be a very good answer.
If you are concerned, I would recommend only using the Trench Composting method, where you bury all of your materials and forget about them. That would avoid having to go back and spend a lot of time around the compost as it breaks down.
Hi,
The website has been very helpful! We only just found it today, but are curious about several issues. We live in the pacific northwest, about .5 miles from the coast. We currently do vermicomposting (for about 1.5 years), in a commercially retailed stacking bins. Also we have had chickens for about 4 months. Both we regularly give kitchen scraps. I have two questions:
Like Chris asked (10-2-09), I am concerned about diatomaceous earth in our chicken droppings that we add to the compost. I keep thinking it will kill larger decomposers like earthworms or important insects. Or do we only really need the tiny microbes for the compost? How do I find out if it is food grade, and/or is it bad if it is not food grade for the compost(which will then be used in gardens)? Where does one get food grade diatomaceous earth?
The next question is concerning the floor of our compost area. There is a sq. meter sized compost with wood sides in the back corner of our yard. My boyfriend cleared it out and we are eager to get it started(before the regular frosts). We are also going to add another nearby, so we can have one working while the other is being added to garden…bla,blabla. My question is about the base/bottom/flooring. I read that watering the compost bed can sometimes(over watered especially) allow much nutrients to leak to the soil it is sitting on(sometimes people even do compost piles over garden beds to capture these nutrients – not really an option for us). Would it be a good idea to make a floor to capture these nutrients, perhaps a slightly slanted one(like an upside down roof – so that it all can be captured in a bucket of sorts where the corner is at the lowest, then added back to compost or diluted and added to garden)? If we were to do this would it prevent natural decomposers from entering to area(obviously they can enter the sides and will be in the already composted soil we add periodically)? Should we drill holes somewhere, like near the highest part of this floor? Also, what should the floor be made of – wood(hard/soft)/metal/sand/concrete/clay…? Wow, this has gotten long, I will stop, i hope this is descriptive enough…
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I believe that diatomaceous earth only works well in dry conditions to kill most types of insects. So I think that having some of it in your compost probably won’t harm anything, because compost is usually pretty damp. It will also only make up a very small percentage of the material in the compost, which also minimizes any potential problems with it. I wouldn’t be worried about it, if it were me.
As far as the “food grade” thing goes, that mostly means that you just want to avoid using the swimming pool filter kind of diatomaceous earth, which isn’t safe for that kind of use. What you’re using now is probably fine if you aren’t using the swimming pool kind.
I think it would be overkill to try and prevent the compost from draining into the soil underneath. The potential benefits would not be worth the extra work of trying to design something to capture it. You’ll be improving a spot of soil that you don’t necessarily care about, but it won’t decrease the quality of your compost by any kind of measurable amount. So I’d just let it go, if it were me.
Just remember that “Everything decomposes!” You can make it hard, or make it easy. I like making it easy.
Why’s it not cookin’? The leaves are falling like crazy in my yard and I have even harvested several bags. my neighbors were going to discard. I have been using my lawnmower to shred them fine. I repeatedly run the mower over the leaves, lowering the setting. So I have a number of heavy bags of shredded leaves. I started a new batch of compost in a plastic bin a few weeks ago. Watered well. I add kitchen scraps and a lot of coffee grounds from the office for nitrogen. I stir it once a week with a pitch fork and add some water. Trouble is, the bin is not heating up at all. The leaf bits are turning black, but it doesn’t look like its going as fast as I remember last year, when I used unshredded leaves and the bin would let off steam in the cold mornings. So, what is going on? Did I do something wrong? What can I do to fix it? Thanks for your help. I live in Arlington so we must be neighbors.
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It sounds like you know what you’re doing and you’re doing everything right for the most part.
Here’s my best guess.
Last year, you used NON-shredded leaves, and this year you used shredded leaves, right?
When you shred leaves, you can fit a LOT more of them into the same amount of space.
Perhaps last year you had a much better carbon / nitrogen ratio than you have this year, because you have much more carbon in the same space?
I’d try adding more nitrogen rich materials and mixing it up again and see if that helps.
OK, that makes sense. I was wondering if the shredded leaves were choking off the air circulation too. I will keep adding the scraps and coffee grounds. Hope it heats up soon. I sure appreciate the helpful advice! Merry Christmas!
Hello, I am a casual composter because I don’t have a lot of time. My composting is hit and miss! I do spend a lot of the free time I do have gardening and love the cyclical nature of composting and the fact that I am sending less to the landfill. That said, I have a black bin made for composting and I basically add my brown and kitchen scraps in the top, mix when I remember and then pull out compost from the bottom to put in my garden. My question is about the large quantity of insect life in my compost. Is there supposed to be so many bugs (worms, but other stuff too) in there? Will they harm my plants? Thanx for your informative site!
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Bugs are attracted to the materials that are breaking down, because they can consume them.
When you are really going hard core with your composting, your materials can heat up to 140 degrees or more, which reduces the number of creatures that get into it. But when you’re casually composting, and the compost isn’t heating up very much, you’ll see more insects. Bugs don’t hurt anything, and it’s no big deal.
I’m a beginner composter and everything seems to be going well. Question is about lemons. I can’t use or give away all my lemons and am wondering if they can go into the composter. Talking about 1/2 to 3/4 filled trash can amount of lemons. Will this overwhelm; will be too much acid? Thanks for the help.
In general, too much of any one material can overwhelm a compost pile. And citrus rinds can sometimes take a while to decompose.
But even so, I say go for it. Throw it in there and see what happens! Worst case scenario, it will just slow down your pile or bin.
If they don’t break down quickly enough, just keep adding more carbon rich materials, or take some of them out and bury them in the ground to get rid of them.
I wouldn’t worry about the acidity so much.
Can ashes from a fireplace be used in a compost pile? Would it be considered “brown” stuff rather than “green” stuff, The only things in the ashes would be newspaper, pine and other dried natural wood; nothing chemically treated.
Thanks for your question!
I answered with a blog post here. https://www.compostinstructions.com/composting-ashes/
Hello there! I live on an island in the Caribbean, so the climate is tropical: humid and warm, but the ground is full of rocks and white chippy swiss-cheese holed deposits, the soil is lighter brown and is in many places clay-like. We have chickens running all over the place-they throw my compost around the yard if it’s not covered- and rats can be a big problem. I have attempted to compost by trench method, but we also live on a hill and I seemed to have simply developed a maggot-puddle in doing so. When it rains, it rains very heavily, but there’s always sun to heat things up after. It is also frequently very windy. In general, I have had a hard time getting enough browns as everything rots so fast and many of the trees around us are supposedly toxic in some way – annonaceas. Which home-built method do you think could work the best here? I believe I need some way of elevating the compost (for better drainage) and good openings to take advantage of the wind but still keep out the chickens (and the rats?). Thanks for your ideas.
Hello,
I am a beginner with composting. I learned a lot from reading your answers to various questions. Thank you. However, I did not see anytyhing about composting pineapple peels? WE eat a lot of fresh pineapple and I hate to throw the peels. CAn I compost it?
Thanks,
Zenny
Thanks for your question!
I answered with a blog post here:
https://www.compostinstructions.com/can-you-compost-pineapple-peel/
we’ve moved to a house with about 20 gigantic rose bushes. is there a good way to add the prunings to the compost pile if i don’t have a chipper/shredder? i’ve been chopping them (with pruning shears) into 1-6″ pieces, 1/4-2″ diameter, but am afraid that they are just going to make my heap a thorny mess next year.
One method you can use to chop stuff up if you don’t have a chipper shredder is to make piles and run over it with a lawnmower.
I haven’t tried this method, but I have read about it in many gardening books.
If you do it, always be very careful with a lawnmower and keep away from spinning blades!
I have two cantainer full of kitchen scrap that I would like to compost,it will be my first time starting a compost pile.My question is can I put it directly in the ground? do I have to add lime to the pile? if fireants get into the pile will it be a total loss?
Thank you, Irma
P.S. How do I know when to use it.
Is it possible to add too much compost? My thought has always been that even if all you had was compost it would make a good medium for growing plants. I have a 200 square foot vegetable garden plot and add about 20 – 25 wheelbarrows of compost each spring/summer.
If it’s working for you now, then that’s proof enough!
I think the reason why some people don’t recommend planting in pure finished compost is that many people use bagged, commercial compost. Bagged compost is often made from a single type of material, so it isn’t necessarily balanced. Mushroom compost. Cow poop compost. Etc.
The other issue that you have to look out for is making sure that the compost is actually finished, and not still hot. One year, I planted my garden with a large amount of compost that wasn’t quite finished yet, and it stunted the growth of everything.
But it sounds to me like you’re doing it right, and I say keep doing what you’re doing. Thanks for your comment!
I just finished building the sides to my compost bin made of wood and chicken wire, and was wondering if i need to wait till I build the top to add things to it, or even build a top to it at all…Thank you for all your help
@John Williams,
Using a top to your compost bin is totally optional, so I think you could start adding things immediately.
Hi! Thanks for the great information on your site 🙂 I’ve been composting for a few years, and I have a couple of questions.
I looked around your site for information about fruit flies or gnats, but I only found references to keeping flies out of your kitchen pail. I’ve been having trouble with small gnats inside my composter. I do cold composting or continuous composting, and my compost definitely breaks down. It also doesn’t seem too wet or too dry, but I guess I could be wrong about that. I always put a layer of mostly oak leaves on the top of kitchen scraps. Would they be less likely to show up if I cut up my scraps better?
The main problem with this is that the gnats have then been showing up in the garden where I’ve used the finished compost even though I screen it through 1/4″-1/2″ screens! Any ideas on that? I imagine their eggs are pretty little…
My second question- Are oak leaves ok to be using in the compost and garden? I was told that they are bad for straight mulch in the garden because they have high levels of tannic acid. I never could figure out if the acid was actually bad for the plants or just slower to break down. I do know *nothing* will grow under the oak leaves 🙂
Hi,
I’m interested in composting and would like to try it, however, I just don’t know where to start! I just need to know what I need to get set up.
I really want to start composting and had a question about my options on what to do with the compost if I don’t have a garden. I am completely clueless about practicing composting at home and with all my google searches, I am under the impression that you need a garden for your compost. I’m sure I am wrong, but don’t know in what sense. Ideally, my compost is just for kitchen scraps, including meat and egg shells—I did research on that, and it looks like you need a special compost bin for that. I mean, the option I’ve come up with so far is that I can probably give it away to neighbors. Any advice will help, I’m really lost. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing fr you. In the meantime, I’ll definitely be checking out your site (which btw, was recommended from someone of the localharvest.com forum, my first attempt at digging up an answer for my inquiry…)
@Taylor,
Do you have a yard?
Compost works great on grass, on flowerbeds, on trees and shrubs too.
If you don’t have any kind of a yard at all, you can offer it to a neighbor or coworker who does have a yard or garden. Anyone who is interested in organics will typically be happy to take it, I’d think.
Where can one by grubs to use in composting. I live in Sgreveport Luoisiana ?
Hi, I am a beginner composter. I understand you can use table scraps etc. However, my dog gets most of those. My question has to do with left over bread, rolls, buns etc. Are these ok to add to your compost bin?
@Cheryl,
Yes, bread products are fine for composting. Even when they have gone moldy.
It’s best to bury them deeper into the compost bin or compost pile, so that they don’t attract any pests just sitting there on top.
Hi, I’m a beginner composter and I have a few questions.
1) Can we compost left over bread, rolls and buns (etc,)?
2) We just recently bought decomposable plastic bags to collect our kitchen scraps. I was wondering if it’s a good idea putting those decomposable bags in the composter?, and will it take longer for everything in the bag and the bag itself to decompose?
thankyou!
@Kelsey,
It’s no problem to compost leftover bread, even if it is moldy. Go for it.
I wouldn’t put too many salty items in my compost bin. I’d probably pass on the kernels. They’re already so small and hard that they’d take a long time to decompose. And the salt just pushes them over the edge to “No” for me personally.
Hi,
I’m a newbie- just learning the process for my new tumbler composter. Can i put unpopped popcorn kernels in it? If yes, even if they have salt on them?
Thank you!
Marieke
We just recently bought compostable plastic bags to collect our kitchen scraps. I was wondering if it’s a good idea putting those compostable bags in the composter?, and will it take longer for everything in the bag and the bag itself to decompose?