Composting!

Friends of ours have decided that they don't make use of their composting. They are giving it to me and delivered their compost container this morning! Shaun and I will set it up tonight. YIPIE!!

I have been wanting to compost for some time now. I am planning on using it in our flower beds.

My day has been filled with researching composting. Here are some helpful hints (if you are interested):

What's Good to Compost

• Basically, all organic waste from your garden and kitchen.
• All fruit, vegetables and waste from these, flowers and leaves, tea and tea bags, coffee grounds, egg shells (preferably crushed).
• Weeds, grass, soft cuttings and pruning.
• Shredded twigs, pruning and cuttings.
• Waste paper including tissues, kitchen towels, newspaper, printer paper, corrugated paper/card and cardboard but not too much; it should all be torn up or crumpled and well mixed in with the rest of the compost.

(I am going to order one of these nice stainless steel buckets for the kitchen. The stainless steel resists the odors!)

What's Bad to Compost

• Meat, fish, dairy produce, fat, egg, bread, cake, biscuits, pastry and things containing these; they rot and attract vermin.
• Nearly all cooked food, for the same reason.
• We think you shouldn't compost tomato plants and tops of potato plants; we understand that they can transmit disease (the actual tomatoes and potatoes are fine).
• Cat and dog feces, because it could carry/transmit disease.
• Plastics, shiny paper and card.
• Coarse cuttings, pruning, stalks and twigs, as unless they are shredded they'll take too long to decompose.
• Big roots and roots of dandelions, ground elder, mares tail, couch grass, bindweed etc as these will re-grow.
• Diseased plants or leaves, like those with black spot, mildew, rust or other visible diseases.
• Grass cuttings, moss or other garden waste recently treated with chemicals; you should follow instructions on the packet/tin etc regarding composting following treatment.
• Soil. Small quantities are acceptable, and may be beneficial if well distributed, but you should shake or knock excess soil off plant roots before composting them.
• (This isn't the composter that we have. I will take a pic. of ours eventually.)
  

Tips to Improve your Compost

• You should compost things with a range of textures; you need a mix of soft waste material as well as coarser rougher stuff. This helps to aerate the compost.
• One way to aid this is to compost waste paper/card and cardboard but not too much; it should all be torn up or crumpled and mixed in with the rest of the compost.
• Mixing and turning the compost also helps it decompose faster.
• The above tips all help to introduce and maintain oxygen into the compost; this helps the organic matter to decompose faster.
• Grass cuttings can be composted but you should not put thick layers in the compost bin without mixing other, coarser materials in with the grass to get oxygen into the mixture. Grass cuttings in large quantities will compact and form a thatch, restricting air flow and slowing down decomposition of the grass as well as other waste and will eventually end up as a slimy, smelly mass.
• The compost in the container should be moist, but not too wet. If it's too dry, you can just water it. If it's too wet and soggy, maybe liquid cannot drain away from the bottom; you could try standing your compost container on paving slabs with a slight slope and small gaps between; this will also make it easier to to remove your compost from the bottom. It can be helpful to pack small pieces of tile or slate under the legs to get the container upright and also delay the onset of wet-rot if they are wooden.
• Organic waste turns into compost faster if it's warm. Positioning your composter where it gets some sunshine is beneficial; if it's in full sun this may dry out the compost too much.

Happy Composting!!