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8/8/10

A Blast From The Past...I Can Compost That?


I can compost that?

Here's a list of items that can be thrown in your compost pile. Some of you won't have some of these items, and then you will have an abundance of another item. For example, I rarely have freezer burned vegetables and fruit nor horse manure but I have all the grass and chicken manure I can use!

Now is a great time to start your own compost pile. Your garden will thank you!

Paper napkins, cups, plates, paper bags (brown, fast food restaurant, take outs)
Paper: newspaper, office, paper towels, junk mail, old receipts/bills, Christmas/greeting cards & envelopes
Cardboard cereal boxes (shredded)

Sewing scraps: Thread, material, Burlap, felt, (the smaller the better)
Hair: human (don’t forget about the electric razor), cat, dog, horse
Lint from: clothes dryer, under beds, behind refrigerator, vacuum cleaner cup/bag contents
cotton balls/swabs: cardboard/paper sticks only)

Grass clippings, leaves & pine needles
Weeds
Hay & Straw

Vegetable plants/vines, Corn stalks & cobs (takes a long time to decompose)
Vegetables from garden that are poor quality for eating (blossom rotted tomatoes,
Freezer-burned vegetables, fruit, fish
Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables

Manures: chicken, horse, cow, goat, hog, rabbit
Bird cage debris (seed hulls, paper liners, feathers)

Kitchen scraps: potato peelings, stale bread, burnt toast, bread crumbs/crust, tea bags/grounds, coffee grounds, rinds: watermelon/grapefruit/cantaloupe, old pastas, old spices, pumpkins (shells & seeds), onion skins, moldy cheese, banana peels, apple cores, shrimp/crab/lobster shells, egg shells, peanut shells, stale crackers, stale chips, popcorn

Wood chips (the smaller the better) ashes from outdoor fires, grills/smokers & fireplaces
Sawdust & pencil shavings
Tree bark
Dead Houseplants & trimmings, flowers & flower arrangements, peat moss, garden soil, outdated vegetable & flower seeds (paper envelope and all)
Old leather gardening gloves, wallets, watch bands, belts

Is there something that you compost that's not listed here?


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2 comments:

  1. The only thing I can think of that we compost that isn't on your list is phone books. We take the glossy covers off and recycle those, then use the pages in compost. They can be shredded or not; they are so thin they break down quickly.

    One thing I thought of composting but decided not to was some raw rice that had a few bugs in it. After reading online, I decided there was too large a risk of it attracting cockroaches and rodents, so I just threw it away.

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  2. cool, I didn't know about half the things you posted!

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