What Can You Compost

Best recycled to make more paper but can be added to a heap. Crumple up first. Printing inks will not be a problem. A good counterbalance to kitchen waste and grass clippings.

Nut grass is one of the most invasive weeds known. Tubers have to be dug up, as weed pulling usually results in breakage of roots, leaving tubers in the ground from which new plants emerge quickly. Put the weed into a bucket of water, soak them for a month or two until they drown and rot. The result is a beautiful fertilises Strain it and its ready for use.

May be quite tough at the end of the season, more brown than green.

Onion weed is an erect herb with an underground bulb, producing several smaller bulbs. Put the weed into a bucket of water, soak them for a month or two until they drown and rot. The result is a beautiful fertiliser. Strain it and it’s ready to use.

Crumple up before adding to the heap. Don’t add as flat sheets as this will stop the air moving and could make it smelly. A good counterbalance to kitchen waste and grass clippings.

Persistent perennial weeds that are very difficult to control are best not included in the normal compost heap. Try the black plastic trick (see ‘Celandine’) or make a separate ‘weed compost heap’, covered well with a sheet of black plastic.

If your pet eats little or no meat, such as a hamster, rabbit or gerbil, compost the bedding from its cage. If bedded on wood shavings, you need to be careful how much you put in (see ‘Wood shavings’).

Not of living origin so will not compost.

Not of living origin so will not compost.

Plants that are poisonous to eat will not poison a compost heap, or plants fed with that compost Take care not to inhale dust or fumes when pruning or shredding poisonous plants such as camphor laurel or Datura species.

Bury these in the compost heap as peelings with an ‘eye. can grow shoots. If the original tuber had blight, the new shoots could also spread this disease.

Potato plant tops that have been infected with potato blight are safe to compost in a covered heap – preferably one that heats up. Don’t use the compost on another potato or tomato crop.

Potato tubers do not compost well in a normal compost heap and will often grow into new plants. The disease potato blight can spread to your crops from these plants if the tubers were infected.

You can put both the plant and soil into your compost heap, unless there are vine weevils in the pot.

Although poisonous to eat, rhubarb leaves will not poison a compost heap, or plants fed with that compost.

Use only from untreated wood and in small quantities in a compost heap. Very slow to rot and can cause deficiencies if added to the soil before fully rotted.

Only use seaweed that has been washed up on the beach, do not pick it deliberately. Avoid the dried seaweed above the tideline as this can be very salty.

A good source of compost material.

Soil on roots of weeds and plants is fine, but do not add extra soil deliberately.

Not of living origin so will not compost.

Old and weathered straw is best as it has already started to decay. Water well if dry or mix with wetter ingredients.

These may take a long time to compost so may have to go through the compost heap several times. Chop them up with a spade or bash with a brick to speed up the process.

If you use a kitchen tidy, don’t pour the tea with the tea bags straight into it, as it will become very. sloppy. You can empty the teapot straight onto the compost heap.

Young plants will compost well. Large thistle roots may have to go through the compost heap several times. Use the black plastic sack trick (see ‘Celandine’) or make a separate ‘weed compost heap’ (see ‘Couch grass’).

If you do add these to a compost heap, take care when using the compost as the thorns may still be sharp enough to prick through your skin.

Not of living origin so will not compost.

A good activator to kick start the composting process. Water on to a heap, diluted approx 1 Part urine to 20 parts water. Be careful not to overdo it or it will make your compost heap too salty for worms to enjoy.

Crumple up into balls before adding to the heap. A good counterbalance to kitchen waste and grass clippings.

Collect in a container in the kitchen and empty it regularly. Add crumpled paper products soak up excess liquid and balance the mix. Alternatively, fruit and vegetable residues can go into the Bokashi Bucket. Bokashi Bucket would be most suitable in this case.

Can regrow from stem fragments that might survive composting. Place runners into a plastic bag and leave in full sun for a number of months until they turned to mash, then put them into the compost bin. Or make separate ‘weed compost heap’ (see Couch grass).

As long as you are getting a good mix of greens and browns in your heap, you should not need to add water. If the heap has died out, remove the bin, turn the heap and water ingredients as you remake it.

Weed seeds are unlikely to be killed off in a cool compost heap. Try to pull up weeds before they go to seed. Otherwise you have to hoe off any weeds that grow from the compost.

A good source of minerals for growing plants. You can also add ash from barbecues if you use lumpwood charcoal. Briquettes contain chemicals to help them bum which is not good for the compost.

Use only in small quantities in a compost heap. Very slow to rot, and can cause deficiencies if added to the soil before fully rotted.

Best shredded. Use in small quantities in a compost heap. Or make into a separate woody heap (see ‘Evergreen prunings’) or heap up out of the way where they will make a good wildfire habitat and rot eventually.