What can I put in my compost bin?

[@isabelleblain9657]

I have a shredder and use it to shred cardboard boxes, paper, the roll s found inside the toilet paper rolls. That is the bulk of my « brown » material during the summer. I cut the vegetable residues very small. I even use my hand blender to make a sludge out of my kitchen residues. I am able to get a nice compost in 3 months during the summer months.

[@suranda.]

thank you i really want to get my family and our downstairs neighbors to start composting mostly to become more eco friendly and this video was def useful :)

[@beckymorris923]

I loved your 3 part compost video. It made me realize what I was doing wrong and that I could use the empty kitty litter bins that we have in abundance for storage. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Your welcome Becky. Thanks for watching. Let us know how the kitty litter bins work.

[@ivettevalentin1308]

You're videos are great! So easy to understand. Thank you!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Thanks Ivette.

[@davidmarshall2202]

As an Australian I just love the way you say compost. 😅

[@mmosby9492]

This is such a great video! Nice, basic, and to the point!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Thanks Missy.

[@glchild251]

Thank you. I have been thinking about starting a small herbs garden. Yesterday, I started germinating, grabbing some fresh cut grass, grabbing some fresh and old leaves up, and taking my hand rake right where those leaves were composing. Yes, I got that fresh soil. I'm doing it. Now I'm thinking there are lots of tree sticks lying around. I'm going to get some to cover my compose .

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yay. The hardest part is getting started. You are doing it.

[@msbrownbutter]

What a great video you were very enthusiastic, excited, educational, concise… you just got yourself a new subscriber Thank you.

[@pafrazier56]

Thank you, really easy to understand, helpful guidelines and under 5 minutes!

[@evrimc]

this is really helpful! i want to start composting but my mom says its gross and she is scared that bugs etc will come in. so i started with a tiny crate to show her its not that gross, and i didnt start really big cause its my first time composting.

[@cryptohook9395]

Excellent video! Thanks much

[@mainegrown7274]

I am looking to start my first compost pile this spring. Your video was very helpful! Keep up the good work!

[@GardensThatMatter]

Great to hear. Can't wait to hear your results. Let me tell you about something else going on right now. We are giving free access to our beginning gardening courses and free download of our ebook The Happy Garden Guide to Composting which is a perfect companion to our Quick Start to Composting video series on this KZbin channel. With all the craziness going on right now, we are trying to help people pass the time at home with gardening and composting. If you are interested, you can click to our course page http;//gardensthatmatter.com/shop and use the code GROWJOY to get free access. No catch. Just trying to help our community in this crazy time. Hope you and yours are safe and healthy. If you haven't seen our video explaining what we are doing, here's a link to that to kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnS3qmh9g6-jma8

[@mainegrown7274]

Gardens That Matter thank you so much!

[@heatherhughes9246]

I literally opened youtube to search for this kind of video and it was the first suggestion when I opened the app 🤣😅 Stop reading my mind!

[@caligirl7525]

Great video! Clear and to the point! Thanks! 👌🏽 🥬🍌🥦

[@incognitoriaanonymousita]

This was good. Thank you. We are just getting started. 🤗💜👍

[@corrinjade3973]

This video was so helpful, thank you very much! One question, are cotton balls ok to put into the compost?

[@crpth1]

Cotton balls should be just fine. As should be most cosmetic creams and likes of it. With this said hair and nails is also perfectly fine. So when you clip your nails or cut your hair you know what to do! ;-)

[@brightdiet675]

Hello, I have a question about composting newspaper. I lived in Thailand and pretty sure that newspaper company are still using petroleum based ink. So, is it safe to compost these newspaper. (All information on internet always says newspaper mostly used soy ink now but that's for developed country)

[@hnc1500]

I love Isabelle’s open-minded and unopinionated bit on animal products 🙂

[@lynitakin2742]

I receive a lot of thermal paper at the end of the day from the computer system in my little business. This I shred. Is this thermal paper bad to add to the compost heap? I guess it has an oil/ chemical coating therefore I would like to make sure. Thanks for the informative video.

[@genewalizer3167]

Can you use watermelon rind in your compost? Are there any fruits you should avoid using?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Of course you can use watermelon rind. I do not know off the top of my head if there are any fruits you should avoid. If I did some more extensive research , I would probably find something you should not compost, but for now, we compost all fruits.

[@tinamariefeliciano2751]

Thank you for sharing! What if your fruit starts molding is it good for your compost??

[@PamelaBigelow]

Thanks for the super helpful tips!

[@Agui007]

Hi, my cat last year made a few unfortunate kills of wood mice and garden birds. I buried them in the heat of the pile and they break down so quickly! Just being mindful it's hot first 😅

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, we've composted many animals (mice, birds, and even chickens), but you're right, the pile needs to get hot to work well and kill off potential pathogens.

[@Monkeyb00y]

Thanks for the great tips. Trying to get my composting skills up and this was certainly helpful. Subbed and BELLED(?). I'll be watching more for sure!

[@marthaminerva]

Brilliant video

[@GardensThatMatter]

Thanks.

[@whodidit99]

Can you compost hydrated wheat berries used for mushroom cultures?

[@davidbabcock1231]

I do have a garden my landlord let’s me have a garden but doesn’t want me to have a compost pile because it’s an eye sore but whatever I’ll do what I can, so you said I should fill the barrel pretty much to maximum capacity when I start it out right?? I shouldn’t add a little at a time?? Also would it be okay to put tin foil cardboard in it?? I wasn’t sure if the ink on the box would create a problem. Also for my green ingredients we don’t have anything green outside yet it’s still a little cool for it so could use food scraps as my green material?? Also I have straw out in my garden in a pile that I didn’t use and it’s already starting to compost under the top layer, should I use that as my brown layer??

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, you can add as you go. That is what it is called, an "as you go" pile. You just fill it up as you have material and then when it is completely full, you stop adding and just keep it turning regularly. The other method is called a "batch" pile and that is when you have enough material to fill up your bin all at once. The "as you go" method is fine, just layer brown in with your green as green is available. Add a little water. Material should be like a wrung out sponge, not to much not too little. If you have access to a little soil to sprinkle on the green layers, do it. This will inoculate your pile with microbes. We do "as you go" with our food scrap bin. Add a little at a time until full. Then we start turning (and waiting). You can turn it before it is full so it starts working. But it probably won't get hot until you have enough volume. Straw is a good brown material. As long as it is for sure straw. Hay will have seeds. You said the straw is starting to compost under top layer? If so, you can use this compost instead of soil to inoculate the pile with microbes.

[@LucyBunn]

Hi, what about the bio degradable food bags that go in your food kitchen caddy bins??

[@davidbabcock1231]

Okay I have a question if you put stuff like scrap tomatoes from the garden that fell off the plant and pepper won’t the seeds from both start growing in there and then we would have tomato and pepper plants growing in the compost bins that’s one of my concerns

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi David. Yes, that can happen, especially if you don't do hot composting. We try to always get our compost piles up to 145 degrees for a minimum of 3 days which is sufficient to kill off most kinds of seeds (or at least make them sterile) and pathogens. It is hard to make sure every seed has a chance to be in the hot center of the pile, it takes a lot of turning and management. We haven't ever had tomatoes pop up in the compost, but we have had volunteer tomatoes pop up in the garden where they are not wanted (and where we applied compost), so they get pulled along with any weeds. No problem. And honestly, we feed most of our left over or rotten tomatoes to the chickens before they go in the compost. We have heard (but haven't tried yet) that Bokashi composting kills off seeds. Have you heard of Bokashi? It is a fermentation method that you can even do meat and dairy. We don't have any articles to recommend yet but there are plenty on the internet. Just thought I would throw it out there. But the real solution is hot composting or if you are worried not to put tomatoes or peppers in your pile. Thanks for the question. Hope my answer wasn't too scatterbrained. Side effects from new role as home school teacher. Hope you and yours are safe and healthy.

[@johnsinger8534]

Hi Amy !!! Just found your YT Channel. Thanks so much for all of your knowledge and your willingness to freely give it to us. I appreciate it. Also, I THINK YOU ARE REALLY CUTE !!! Ha !!! - John Hinzman, Florida.

[@stephenknight2891]

In the UK, most of the big tea brands put plastic in their tea bags.

[@ateleskier7066]

They do indeed, and have been keeping quiet about it for years while we've been putting our teabags into the compost bin thinking we're doing the right thing. We then find them turning up in the compost a year or more later. Those 'biodegradable wrapping' bags that some magazines now arrive in are another issue; you know, those ones billed as 'made with corn starch'. They don't rot either - another lie. Both of the aforementioned items now go into my Rayburn instead. 🇬🇧

[@chrisgale5634]

Yes I never put them in the compost , just rip open and empty the tea granules in.

[@maggiegize4877]

Random compost question. I have left over hone made guacamole that is starting to get brown. Can I throw that in my compost? I don’t see why not. It doesn’t have anything unnatural in it. It does have some table salt in it though.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Sure can. Even whole avocados can be composted, although it will take a while for the seed/pit to decompose.

[@davidbabcock1231]

Hello thank you for your reply I was going to do compost in two 32 gallon trash cans so i think it will be considered hot compost, I’m going to turn it once a week. I guess if I really wanted to be crazy I could take the seeds out of whatever I put in there. That’s an option. Also for my brown layer I was going to put leaves and for the green layer I was going to put food scraps and some cut grass when I cut it. Once I add everything to the barrel as it compost a down I can’t add anymore because it will cool it off more and cause it not to compost is that correct?? If so I’ll have to load it up to the top and every time I want to turn it I will dump it out on a tarp and shovel it back into the bucket. That was an idea I was going to try

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hey David. The heat in your compost is not in relation to the container you use. Heat is created by the reproduction and activity of the bacteria inside your pile, which is in relation to the mix of the materials (green and brown) that they feed on. But in order for the bacteria to reproduce enough to create good heat in your pile, it takes volume. We always recommend at least a 3' x 3' pile, meaning 3 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. Your 32 gallon trash cans will be close, but maybe small. That's why we use the wire bins that we talk about in part 2 of our Quick Start to Composting video series. kzbin.info/aero/PLSGk426DySd9a6BG3bHm42yb5dGhEc73a We know we always have enough volume for hot composting and we can make several bins out of a big roll of wire from big box store. Cheaper than trash cans and garden center plastic bins. The other thing the bacteria need to thrive is proper moisture and proper air. Trash cans won't provide enough air flow, but if you are planning on dumping and turning the material once a week, you should be able to provide enough air. The other way would be to drill holes in your trash cans, but this this can hurt the integrity of your cans and they may not last as long. I like the idea of dumping to turn. This will ensure you get your material mixed up good, and get a good flush of air. You mentioned grass clippings. They are good, but make sure you spread them out within your pile. Grass tends to clump and mat down which prevents air flow and they will start to smell. A lot of times, we spread fresh grass clippings out on the ground for a day or two to dry out some before putting them in the pile. Last thing, your pile won't start to heat up until it is full (needs volume), so having 2 is good. When you get one full, that is a batch and you can just turn and manage until it is done. It will shrink by half to 2/3 before its all said and done, so you may end up with about 10 gallons of compost. While one pile is active, you can be filling up the next one as needed until it is full. You may find over time, you will want more piles or bins. We always have at least 3 or 4 bins going at any one time. But we need and produce a lot of compost for our gardens. But you will figure it out as you go. One last suggestion, take notes on your material, volume, time, when you turn and etc.This will help you learn and make adjustments. We use Evernote on our phones to record stuff including temperature and when it cools down. We use a compost thermometer so we know if our hot compost gets to the right temp and for how long. Often we use temp to tell us when to turn, when it cools down, we turn. Repeat until the pile no longer heats up. Then we let it sit to cure (age or mature). Oh wow, sorry for such a long response. We get excited talking about compost. Hope this helps.

[@antrinh600]

Hello, Does the bin needs to be in the sun or can it be in the shade? Thanks

[@GardensThatMatter]

In most cases (warmer climate and zones), it is better in the shade. Direct sun tends to cause your bin to dry out faster. In colder climates, it may be better to have in the sun. With all that said, compost will happen no matter where it is located as long as you manage your bin well (turning and watering regularly and getting a good C:N ratio). If you do put in shade, just make sure your bin is at least 6 feet away from trees, bushes, or buildings. Have you watched our video playlist called Quick Start to Composting? It is a 3 part series that explains all the basics of composting, including choosing a location for your bin. Here's a link in case you haven't caught it yet. kzbin.info/aero/PLSGk426DySd9a6BG3bHm42yb5dGhEc73a Thanks for the question and good luck.

[@saraihfenton2389]

Can I add fish frames and heads to my compost tumble if yes will the bones break down ?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Saraih, yes you can add fish to your compost bin or tumbler. Anything organic essentially can be composted. Just know that fish is a protein (like meat) and we recommend only doing it if you are doing "hot" compost, so that it will kill off any pathogens and break down the material fast. We actually just added a fish frame to our compost last week after my husband Colby and our boys went fishing. The bones from a fish will take a while to break down, so they may need several months. We screen our compost, taking out any bones or other hard materials (like wood chips) that take longer to decompose and add them back in to our next compost bin. Have you watched our video on composting meat? Fish is meat, so this video will give you the basics on composting fish. Here is a link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoTVXnmImpqZopY Hope this helps. Thanks for the question. Happy composting.

[@madenthecountrybabylikegri1261]

Amy you're such a sweet baby I'm subscribing!! And your talking about shit I care about.

[@Shane-dq7ls]

What about bread, noodles, and things like that?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yep. Here's our video about bread and pasta. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5akeGetqtebgsk Thanks for the question.

[@dionnefranklin1633]

Thank you!

[@alisamartin5491]

Is it ok to add leaves or a flowers that may have had a fungus?

[@samuelbarefoot665]

Shoutout to the neighborhood beagle @ 2:52

[@TheTopseat]

What about wood? Sticks or branches? Can they go in compost?

[@Hope-Victory91]

Thank you 😊

[@texassaltwaterlife4374]

If u are using the hot compost method if it gets to 160 it will kill those seeds so it will not come back when u use that compost ....i have never had a plant regrow when using compost with weeds or seeds but the compost has to get to 160 to kill the seed

[@bilhaobong6479]

thanks for this video.

[@davidbabcock1231]

Your advice helps thank you. I bought the trash cans brand new so I think the integrity should be okay for a while l. I plan on putting drainage holes through the bottom and sides and I think I will dump the pile out into a piece of plastic and turn it like that and then put them back in the bucket. We live in an apartment and our landlord doesn’t want us to put a compost pile in our yard. Ideally that’s exactly what I would do but I have to make due with what I got. This is my very first attempt at this so I guess I will see how it turns out I’m putting holes in the barrels and then putting the barrels on a pallet to elevate them for the drainage . My biggest thing is keeping the pile as hot as possible. So as the pile composts down should I add new stuff to it or that will probably mess up the process by lowering the heat in the pile??

[@GardensThatMatter]

Dang apartment managers. If we could get apartments to all put in community gardens in their courtyards complete with composting facilities that everyone who lives there could take advantage of and enjoy the bounty of, there would be a lot less waste in the world. But I am glad you are doing what you can with what you got. What are you going to do with the compost when its finished? Do you have a garden? So you can add stuff to your pile as it composts, but at some point it it better to stop adding and let it finish. You still turn it often and make sure it has enough air and water. It will cool down when the bacteria run low on food, but if you keep adding to it, you will never be completely finished. We usually add to ours until completely full and has the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio (greens and browns) and then we quit adding to it and start a new bin. When we turn, we turn all the bins but only add new material to the active bin. Even when the pile cools off, it is still working. Its just the bacteria numbers drop off and fungus takes over. If your compost is on the ground like ours, when the pile cools off is when worms and other bugs come in to finish the job. They won't enter when pile is hot. Since you are on a pallet, worms and others won't be able to access you bin but you can still have good compost. The bacteria is what does the first part of decomposition when your pile is hot. When it cools, there is still some bacteria but fungus dominates and continues the process. After your material is pretty much unrecognizable as what it once was, your compost can be considered finished, however, really good compost is left several more weeks or even months to mature. Mature (or aged) compost is much better and more diverse than compost that is not aged. I failed to tell you in previous comments that we are giving away free access to our beginning gardening courses right now and our ebook on composting called the Happy Garden Guide to Composting. This ebook explains the science of the compost process. It was meant to be a companion to our Quick Start to Composting Videos on KZbin. If you are interested in this free book, here is the link to our courses page. When you head to checkout use the coupon code GROWJOY. gardensthatmatter.com/shop We had originally advertised to only give free access through March 31 (today), but we have decided to extend because of the virus. We thought maybe people would like to learn about gardening (and composting) since we are all stuck at home. If you missed our video about this too on KZbin, here is a link to the video we put out about our free access to courses and book. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnS3qmh9g6-jma8

[@davidbabcock1231]

I am so sorry for all of the questions, I wish I could message you or something so I don’t keep taking up comments on here. I know it’s straw because I used it in my garden last year but instead of me throwing it out I want to be able to use it. The straw should I just use the dark matter on the bottom or just throw a layer in with the dry stuff on top as well?? I am so sorry about all of these questions I just want to try to get it the best I can. Like I said this will be my first time so I’m kind of nervous that it won’t turn out right. I can put cardboard from my tin foil container right?? Or will the ink be a problem. One more question when you do the add as you go you still need to do the layer method with brown and green till it’s full right!? I’ll have to make sure each time that I have enough green matter before I put it in the bucket so I can cover them with the brown matter. I am so sorry about all of these questions

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hey David, no worries about the questions. That is what we are here for. Did you see my message about our Facebook page and group? Are you on Facebook? If so , here is link to our page where you can use messenger. facebook.com/gardensthatmatter/ The straw can be used as is, the dark matter on the bottom will just help inoculate your pile because it will contain some microbes. With an "as you go" pile, you can do your layers of green and brown and then fill up the rest of the bin to the top with the straw. When you have more green material, just remove the top layer of straw, add a layer of green, and then add back the straw on top. By keeping straw on top, you will be insulating your pile, and helps prevent flies from laying eggs in your green material. In our "as you go" bins, we always keep a thick brown layer on top. We don't wet this top layer because we want to be able to easily remove it before adding another layer of green. We only keep the layers below moist. But the dry brown material on top helps keep the layers below moist. Does that make sense? Then, when your "as you go" bin is full, you can stop adding green, but make sure the top layer is always brown (straw). Cool?

[@angelsuniverse6021]

Cooked fruits n veggies? Like when u do applesauce, juices teas etc thoae left over that r cooked n sometimes with sweet?

[@BrokenHeartsMinistry_777]

Very cool.

[@aparajithasarapu3125]

Can I use tendu leaves or cooked food in compost?

[@anastasiachenchik]

can i compost mushrooms?

[@mauricewhite2915]

Can I compost Sorghum that grew in a field that had Glysophate spread for weeds before the Sorghum was planted?

[@jezzac2579]

What do you mean by hot center?

[@trishmarris6099]

Thankyou

[@raffaderhein2887]

Can I put nail clippings in my compost pile?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes. And hair.

[@susieq4913]

So I can add the dog hair saved when I groom my dog?@@GardensThatMatter

[@GardensThatMatter]

@@susieq4913 Absolutely.

[@KyrenaH]

Yes both nails and hair can be composted. Hair takes a while to break down though.

[@Biden2024not.kamala]

What about cottage cheese milk products?

[@kamlajoshi]

Can we put pulses in bin.

[@akaribailey8416]

Thank you for your video. I want to start composting. I have a chicken coop with 4 chickens. We lay pine shavings in their coop and replace them about once a month. It is mixed full of feathers and chicken poop. Can I compost it and if so is it considered green or brown?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Akari. You can absolutely compost the waste from your chicken coop and nest boxes. Chicken poop is a great source of nitrogen. Chickens are unique, because their poop and urine is mixed (one in the same). So the chicken manure is a green and the pine shavings are brown. We just throw it all in the compost along with a few leaves for extra brown (depending on how much poop there is). Sometimes we do a deep layer composting in place method under our chickens in the coop, meaning we start with a layer of leaves or pine shavings under their roosts. After a few days, we add some more brown material (leaves or shavings) on top of the poop layer and previous layer of brown. We do this every few days, and after a few weeks of layer after layer, we move the coop to another spot, and cover the old spot with a final top layer of leaves or shavings and water it in and let it sit for a few weeks. Then we turn it (or let the chickens scratch turn it for us) and let it sit some more. After a couple of months, you have a nice pile of compost. Basically, it is composting in place. But we have a big pasture and move our chickens often so they are always on fresh grass to graze on. This composting in place method doesn't work very well for a chicken coop that must stay in one place (not hygienic) . So cleaning the coop out every so often and adding the material to a compost bin or pile is ideal. Glad you are thinking of composting in addition to your chickens. It is a great way to be regenerative and sustainable. Hope this answers your question. Thanks for the question and watching our videos.

[@amandairwin4020]

I heard you have to compost the chicken poop BEFORE adding it to a composter? We just started our bin and we did add old pine bedding to the composter, but tried to get most of the poop out. I'm not sure if that was right or not.

[@davidnoffsinger5214]

Soooo somewhere along this wonderful universe, someone thought it was okay to put gasoline in their compost? That is why I love being alive. BTW, your videos are everywhere. Anytime I have a question I go to your vids now. Love them! I do have a quick question. One person I see says they don't compost they just put it right into the ground and let the worms do the work.. I recall you mentioning there are negatives to putting compost in too early. Is he one of those gasoline people or is there merit to it?

[@GardensThatMatter]

What? Gasoline? That's insane. That's hard to wrap my brain around. There is some merit to burying food scraps or other green material right into the ground and let the worms (and microbes) do the work. We call it "Composting in Place". There are 2 methods we have used. The first is sometimes called "guerrilla composting" where you basically dig a hole or trench and bury the food scraps or other green material. This can be done in raised beds or in areas where you want to improve the soil and/or start a new garden bed. We do this sometimes at my husband's parent's house in Texas when we visit. They don't have a compost bin, so we bury food scraps in their empty flower beds. One of these days, we will get around to planting some flowers or bushes there because the soil is now pretty good. Here is a link to our blog post on guerrilla composting. www.gardensthatmatter.com/guerrilla-composting-recycle-food-waste-without-compost-bin/ The second method is sheet mulching. Sheet mulching is simply putting a weed barrier down (like cardboard) and then layering green and brown material up right in a place that you may want to plant something in a few months. You may be familiar with sheet mulching. We use this method often to start new garden beds, especially where grass has been. Here is a link to our blog post on sheet mulching. www.gardensthatmatter.com/sheet-mulching-tutorial/ We were planning a video on sheet mulching this fall, but we didn't get it done. Possibly in spring. One thing to remember with composting in place. Just like in a compost bin or pile, the material breaking down is using nitrogen for decomposition, so the nitrogen and nutrients are not available to plants yet, (until the material is more broken down). Decomposition ties up the nitrogen. We have seen some gardeners plant right into a sheet mulch immediately, but we recommend waiting a few months before planting into a sheet mulch or trench compost area to allow the material to decompose (and cool down). This gives the plants a better chance to thrive. As for putting in compost too early. It depends. Compost is better when aged (matured) and maturing is usually better done in your bin or pile. We do often go ahead and move finished, but not mature, compost to a garden bed early and let it mature in place. But we won't plant into it for a few more weeks or months. We cover it with mulch, usually leaves, so it won't dry out, and It will continue maturing in place. We do this because sometimes we need the bin to start a new batch of compost. I hope this helps. I am happy and grateful you consider us a resource for your compost and gardening questions and I do hope you will check out our website (where there is more garden goodness) and continue watching our youtube videos. If you have any ideas for good video content, please send it our way. We are always looking for video ideas that will serve our viewers well. Thanks David and Happy Gardening.

[@PreachingTruth]

I love the 505 Salsa (green chile?). Do you ever miss NM?

[@PreachingTruth]

Is it sad that I don't even really need to see the label well to know it's 505?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, we miss NM (except for gardening with little access to water). I lived in ABQ for 10 years and my husband (Colby) for 15. We met there. We love green chile, and often can get 505 green chile salsa here. And my husband's best friend's family owns Sadies Restaurant in ABQ, (on 4th and Solar) and he will send us salsa when we are desperate. We also really miss the balloon festival. So cool and unique.

[@karlwestp]

Can you put used cat litter in the compost?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes and no. You do not want to put cat litter in your regular compost if you intend to use that compost on food crops when finished. We have a separate compost pile (way away from veggie garden) that we use for cat and dog waste. This compost when finished is only used around trees and shrubs. You never want to use compost from "meat eating" animal waste because of pathogens. Also, many commercial cat litters contain weird stuff like clay (for clumping) and it doesn't break down very well. We use organic litter (without clay) that contains corn or rice hulls, or we have found that our cat will use a crumble chicken feed for litter (I think it's a 16% pellet crumble). It's weird, our chickens won't eat pellets but our cat will poop in it. Chicken pellet feed from a feed store is a whole lot cheaper than grocery store cat litter. Cheers.

[@joycesurgeoner7742]

Can I put cooked meat, cooked chicken, cooked vegetables, rice and pasta and any uncooked meat and fat into your compost bin. Please let me know. Thanks

[@BN-hy1nd]

How can I use print papers with or without printer ink? Thanks

[@rblxcasino5104]

Yea , wet it down too to help speed everything up

[@carolshonk6147]

What about cereal boxes? They are colorful with glossy finish?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Hi Carol. We usually either recycle cereal boxes or save them for kid's craft projects. You are right, they are glossy which means they contain some unsavory chemicals (wax and heavy metals) that are not recommended for composting.

[@taj__]

Can I use potatoes

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, but they may sprout (if organic - untreated). No worries though. We chop em up into small pieces.

[@taj__]

@@GardensThatMatter yes I chopped them and also wash them with boiling water. I think there will be no problem

[@lofm6213]

What about citrus? Wouldn't anything that is antimicrobial, such as lemons or oranges, be a no no?

[@eflowers8306]

Strange question is menstrual blood and toilet paper ok to be composted? I feel like it's going to waste otherwise.

[@ashley1400]

Hello, Can I compost tomato and potato plants?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, as long as they are/were healthy plants. Any plants (especially tomato) plants that appear to have any disease should not be composted. Diseased plants are better to be burned. Also, actual tomatoes with seeds should be composted in a hot pile only, or the seeds may survive and then germinate in your garden when you spread the compost. This goes for any plants with seeds, but tomatoes are particularly problematic.

[@vijuvinod]

Hi.... i put too much of grapfruit in the compost bin ( May be one layer ), is it going to cause any issue..? Thanks in advance.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Not really. Just make sure you have plenty of brown (carbon rich) material mixed in and you will be fine.

[@vijuvinod]

@@GardensThatMatter thanks a lot

[@karenwhitmyre7999]

Old vitamins??

[@maworker]

What about ink on paper isn’t that toxic??

[@rblxcasino5104]

It's not toxic enough to cause any harm because its a miniscule amount

[@isyfuntime4413]

I was told no onions or tomatoes. Is that true?

[@GardensThatMatter]

I don't think so. We often compost onions and tomatoes, however, we usually feed them to the chickens first. If we do compost tomatoes, we make sure we put them in a hot pile so it will kill the seeds, but even if it doesn't, we don't worry too much about volunteers. Thanks for the question.

[@melissa2807]

Kinda concerns me that Lysol is advertising their wipes as compostable 😬

[@GardensThatMatter]

I haven't seen any that straight up said they were compostable. I've seen some labels that advertised "biodegradable", which doesn't necessarily mean they should go in a compost bin. Did you see some that actually said "compostable"? This concerns me too. Thanks for the heads up.

[@melissa2807]

@@GardensThatMatter I'm pretty positive I saw an advertisement on the tv where they said it could go in the compost

[@kgalacticstarseed5978]

I have fruit infused with vodka i can't have. Can i put it in My compost?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes.

[@cj_uwu6932]

can I put rice on my compost? Thank you.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes you can. Here is our video on bread, pasta, and rice. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5akeGetqtebgsk Thanks for the question.

[@beckymorris923]

What about colored paper that is not slick?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Usually yes, Becky. Most printers are using a soy based ink, which is relatively safe. But it is hard to know without talking to the printer. If in doubt, just recycle it, and use paper you absolutely know is safe. Thanks for the question.

[@kimtingchaleun2910]

Can I compost rotten vegetables in my garden?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes.

[@ryan199948]

To cardboard, or not to cardboard?

[@GardensThatMatter]

You can compost cardboard. We usually use cardboard, though, to sheet mulch garden beds. Have you ever done sheet mulching to create or restore a garden bed? Some call it lasagna beds. We think this is a better use of cardboard. In compost, you want small pieces of material, and cardboard is a pain to shred or tear. But if you lack other carbon (brown) material to go with your green material, then cardboard can definitely be used.

[@davidbabcock1231]

Do you have a messenger that I can contact you on so I don’t keep blowing up your comment section. It will be a lot easier to talk one on one with this if it’s possible

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, we have a facebook page. facebook.com/gardensthatmatter where you can do messenger. And we have a private facebook group called Gardens that Matter Group that you can request to join on the page. Advantage to group is everyone can learn from the discussion and often others will add in their 2 cents. We don't really have access to another messenger right now other than FB and our emails are completely full after giving free access to our courses. Lots of questions (not just from you).

[@poolman8676]

Onions?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes

[@poolman8676]

@@GardensThatMatter thank you

[@sweetasssbroo5549]

Russel

[@Well_I_am_just_saying]

If it was recently alive, it pretty much can go in

[@jaiqiliu.4602]

I found a rotten cucumber, can i put it to my compost tumbler?? or moldy orange?

[@GardensThatMatter]

Yes, you can.

[@jaiqiliu.4602]

@@GardensThatMatter thank you so much!!

[@RobertStCyr-pe7ic]

paper should not be put in compost unless it is uncoated and has no printing on it whatsoever. If it has any color on it it is not compostable. Inks more often than not contain heavy metals that will poison your food. papwr with composyiblr ink is always labeled The same goes for paper or cardboard with glue in it. many glues are petroleum based.

[@Nali_Verse]

please please, do not throw away plant parts in ur compost, as many are sprayed with pesticides, going in Ur compost bin, either buy biological, or use ur own from the garden.

[@GardensThatMatter]

Good tip, Nali. Our plant parts are almost always from our own garden, orchard or yard, (we never spray) and if they are not from our garden, they are organic.

[@Nali_Verse]

@@GardensThatMatter good to hear, I did not know this before therefore thought to spread awareness

[@Nightmastercool97]

Chematrials do not exist

[@vickybartistry3292]

Omg you act like you’re talking to 5 year olds. Why tf would we put glass or metal in our compost?