| Vegetables and veggie peels |
Yes |
Nitrogen |
Great source of nitrogen. Bury in compost pile. |
| Leaves (trees and bushes) |
Yes |
Carbon |
May contain materials bad for plants. |
| Ashes from untreated, unpainted wood |
Careful |
Neutral |
Fine amounts at most. Can make the pile too alkaline and suppress
composting. |
| Fruit and fruit peels |
Yes |
Nitrogen |
great source of nitrogen. Bury within compost pile. |
| Bird droppings |
Careful |
Nitrogen |
May contain weed seeds or disease organisms. |
| Cardboard |
Yes |
Carbon |
Shred into small pieces if you use it. Wetting it makes it easier
to tear. If you have a lot, consider recycling instead. |
| Cat droppings or cat litter |
No |
n/a |
May contain disease organisms. Avoid. |
| Coffee ground and filters |
Yes |
N |
Great souce of nitrogen for your composter, add the grounds and the filter. Worms love coffee grounds and coffee filters. |
| Compost activator |
Not required, but ok. |
Neutral |
You don’t really need it, but it doesn’t hurt. |
| Cornstalks, corn cobs |
Yes |
Carbon |
Best if shredded and mixed well with nitrogen rich materials. |
| Diseased plants |
Careful |
Nitrogen |
If your pile doesn’t get hot enough, it might not kill the organisms,
so be careful. Let it cure several months, and don’t use resulting
compost near the type of plant that was diseased. |
| Dog droppings |
No |
n/a |
Avoid. |
| Dryer lint |
Yes |
Carbon |
Compost away! Moistening helps. |
| Eggshells |
Yes |
O |
Break down slowly. Crushing shells helps. |
| Fish scraps |
No |
n/a |
Can attract rodents and cause a stinky pile. |
| Beverages, kitchen rinse water |
Yes |
Neutral |
Good to moisten the middle of the pile. Don’t over-moisten the
pile. |
| Hair |
Yes |
Nitrogen |
Scatter so it isn’t in clumps. |
| Lime |
No |
n/a |
Can kill composting action. Avoid. |
| Manure (horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, chicken, rabbit) |
Yes |
Nitrogen |
Great source of nitrogen. Mix with carbon rich materials so it
breaks down better. |
| Meat, fat, grease, oils, bones |
No |
n/a |
Avoid. |
| Milk, cheese, yogurt |
Careful |
Neutral |
Not recommended. Put it deep in the pile to avoid attracting animals. |
| Newspaper |
Yes |
Carbon |
Shred it so it breaks down easier. It is easy to add
too much newspaper, so recycle instead if you have a lot.
Don’t add slick colored pages. |
| Ashes from coal or charcoal |
No |
n/a |
Shredding leaves helps them break down faster.They decompose slower without shreding. Acidic. |
| Sawdust and wood shavings (untreated wood) |
Yes |
Carbon |
You’ll need a lot of nitrogen materials to make up for the high
carbon content. Don’t use too much, and don’t use treated woods. |
| Pine needles and cones |
Yes |
Carbon |
Don’t overload the pile. Also acidic and decomposes slowly. |
| Weeds |
Careful |
Nitrogen |
Dry them out on the pavement, then add later. |
| Sod |
Careful |
Nitrogen |
Make sure the pile is hot enough, so grass doesn’t continue
growing. |
| Algae, seaweed and lake moss |
Yes |
Nitrogen |
Good nutrient source. |
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Is composting pineapple okay to put in the pile if it is cut up? Is it like lime?
Is it OK to put citrus rinds in the composter? I was told not to put orange rinds in a worm bin, but what about outside?
Is it OK to put used tissues in a composter or worm bin? Does it matter if the paper was bleached?
@Nancy O’Brien,
Yes, you can compost citrus rinds as well as use them in your worm bin, try to chop them up as best possible.
Yes, you can compost tissue and paper that is bleached will not harm anything, using it in the worm bin is fine as well. I regularly add a sheet or two of newsprint to my worm bin and they love it, just make sure any paper added is moist and shredded.
Does treated – dyed hair have any value to a composting pile? Thanks
@Jane, I doubt it, spread it in the lawn for the birds, it will add some color for their nests!
I use loose tea to make hot and iced tea. Can that and the used coffee filters that I use making the tea go in the compost pile?
@Kathy, Yes, tea and coffee ground as well as the filters can all go in the compost pile. It may take a little longer for the filters to break down but they eventually will. I throw mine in all the time.
We started our composting for the first time. Started out we used grass clipping, spend flowers and fruit and vegetable peelings also added dried cow manure and dirt. Did we goof up when I added tomato pieces with their seeds and squash pieces. Also, can we add cooked vegetables to our compost pile. Thanks for your help.
Trina, It sounds like you know what you are doing, that’s a good mix. Yes, the seeds might cause you a problem but most likely you will be fine, the heat will likely kill the seeds. Yes, you can add cooked vegetables; make sure you bury it deep in the pile to help cut down on attracting critters or flies.
How about avocado seeds? For that matter any larger fruit seed/pits?
Thank you in advance- great website.
@Dave, Any large item, like a large seed (avocado seeds), pine cone, etc, should be chopped or shredded. If not it will take far too long to break down.
Is it safe to touch the compost pile while it is composting, as in can you get sick?
How do I know when the compost is “ready” ?
Thanks
@Jean Claude Decelis, Yes, your compost is safe to touch. Typically finished compost looks a lot like light dirt when finished and has good earthy smell. Depending on what you used in your pile you may need to sift out the twigs and other items that may have collected. I good sieve is always helpful. http://www.cleanairgardening.com/sieve.html
How long does it take for the pile to be ready, typically? I live in hot and humid Malta. and those the size of a pile matter?
@Jean Claude, There is no absolute timing with composting. If the pile is turned once a week, kept as moist as a well rung out sponge and has a good mix of 75% browns and 25% greens it should break down completely in 2 to 4 mths. However if you don’t keep up with it, it will take much longer. Yes, the size of the compost pile can affect the speed in which it breaks down, but keep in mind the larger the pile the more time and work to turn it. Keeping it roughly 4 ft x 4 ft x 3 ft is more manageable. Or you can keep it in a compost bin or compost tumbler, which range in size from 30 to 100′s of gallons.
Hi Steve,
I am brand spankin’ new to this whole gardening and composting thing. A few days ago I started a pile with grass clippings, loose leaf tea, and a few veggie trimmings from tonight’s dinner. I should have read your Q&A first, because I live in Boise Id and it’s about to get pretty darn cold. id I start this too early? I’m wondering if what I have in there will be weird and gross staying in the bin all winter. I have on of those big black ones that’s on a steel stand that I can spin. Also, couple other questions…
1. I follow an Ayurvedic lifestyle now, which is to say I cook a lot of basmati rice – is this okay to throw in there?
2. Do I need to buy worms or will they just show up?
3. I’m worried it will get all stinky – what should good compost smell like?
I’m so grateful to have found your website! Thanks.
Lisa
@Lisa, If you’re using a tumbling composter on a stand there is no need to add worms. Just make sure you add more browns than greens. If you don’t have enough browns, i.e. leaves, dried grass, etc then you may want to switch to vermicomposting, which is composting with worms. This will allow you to focus more on using your kitchen scraps. When vermicomposting you need a different style bin. You can make one out of plastic bins or buy one online. I would avoid adding the rice to either style that is going to cause a mess.
I have a new compost heap and i think it’s awesome. Sometimes I just go out and sit in the compost heap and cover myself in it. I feel like i grow and extra 6 inches at least. Now I can slam dunk the basketball hoop. I am thinking about trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters this season but Im not black and i think this will harm my chances. What do you think Steve?
Compost is tops!
@Jack Hammer, Add more coffee grounds to your compost for better results. Good luck!
Hi Steve,
I am new to composting and have couple of questions. I am using a compost bin. Can I compost bread and cooked grains – like rice, millet, buckwheat and oatmeal? Thanks!
Natasha
@Natasha McManus, Not the best idea, you will likely get maggots and weevils, its best to leave breads, grains, meats, bones and dairy out of your compost bin.
Steve,
This past weekend while turning my pile of compost I noticed some very healthy grub worms. Is this a good sign or should I rid them of the composter and leave the goods for the red worms??
Thanks, great site!
Gabe
@Gabe, Its likely the grubs you are talking about are ok, and will not cause a problem in your compost bin. However, if they’re the grubs that will turn to the Japanese beetle, they eat your grass roots and can kill your lawn. Do they look like the grubs on this link? http://web.ncf.ca/bf250/grubs.html
Here is another non-toxic way to rid your bin and lawn of these pests: http://www.cleanairgardening.com/milkyspore.html
Howdy from Texas!
Found lots of useful information here like the whole dryer lint thing. I work at a hotel and have boat loads of newspaper, coffee grounds, apples from the breakfast bar and now lint! I noticed not to use too much newspaper though. Is that because too much is bad for the compost or is recycling the more environmentally responsible thing to do? Thanks for all the info, great site!
@Stephen Walker, Sounds like you have lots of great material to use, and yes, newspaper makes great material to add to a composter. Make sure you tear it up so it breaks down faster. Also, make sure you moisten the newspaper in your composter as well.
I have mostly shredded leaves in my compost pile. when I turn the leaves can I sprinkle in some urea which is 46% nitrogen?
@roy, Good idea, especially for those of you with no source of nitrogen. Also, if you have lots of leaves and no source of nitrogen, coffee grounds work well.
I started my compost bin about 3 weeks ago, been adding lot’s of “Browns” and “Greens”. I had read from another source that wood ash would be okay, so I added some when I cleaned out my fireplace, now I have been reading it can cause the compost to become too alkaline. What can I do to get the pH were it needs to be now? Thanks for all the useful information! Happy composting
@Soraya, Assuming you did not add more than a few pounds of ash you will be fine, it will adjust itself over time, just keep adding browns and greens, keep moist and well aerated. If you think you added way to much ash, try adding some sphagnum peat, it will bring it down.