subject: Composting and Items Not to Use [print this page] Composting and Items Not to Use Composting and Items Not to Use
Composting can be worry free if we just follow a few easy rules. Composting is the process of breaking down plant remains and other once living materials that give us a dark, rich material that can be added to our gardens and enrich the soil. It is an economical way of recycling our yard wastes and kitchen scraps by lessening the debris we send to our landfills.
It is not a very good idea for us to compost animal waste. Some gardeners prefer using aged cow manure for garden use but cat litter and dog waste contain pathogens. Even though the compost pile will most likely become hot enough and cook the majority of the waste, but not hot enough to be able to destroy the pathogens. For this reason it is best to leave it out of our compost piles.
Meat, bread, and dairy products have a tendency to attract rodents. We want to avoid these items in the compost bin unless we have a composter which is capable of breaking down meat and dairy products. These products usually rot on their own, it is because of attracting unwanted critters such as bears, flies, rodents and others is the reason we do not want to place them in our compost bin.
Clippings from invasive plants could possibly survive in the bin, reproduce and cause another population explosion in the garden or yard. If the clippings from diseased plants ends up in the compost pile they could possible cause the disease to spread throughout; however if the diseased plant is completely dead it should be fine. Ivy, morning glory, some grasses and sheep sorrel can sprout again from the roots and stems in the pile. We do not want these weeds in our compost unless they are dead or fully dried out. If we decide to compost weeds and they go to seed they will give us new weeds in the garden unless the compost pile temperature is hot enough to kill off the seeds.
We always need to be aware that everything that goes into the compost bin comes out as soil. So we should be very careful about putting in any toxic materials. We certainly do not want any of that type of soil used in our vegetable garden or fruit trees. Such items as plants that have been sprayed with any type of pesticide and treated wood we should leave out of the composting pile.
If you are going to do some worm composting there are a few things that they may not like such as citrus, onions and egg shells. They do not like the oils that are contained in citrus and they will not eat onions; egg shells may be hard for them to compost unless they are crushed first. For the regular compost bin citrus will break down on its own and onions might resprout in the compost and produce new plants to recyle into the garden.
If you decide to use sawdust make sure it is not from chemically-treated wood. This wood has a greenish tint and contains arsenic along with chromium and copper. If the compost bin or raised beds in your garden are made of these woods, it is a good possibility arsenic will leach into your soil. Also a good item to avoid is wood or wood products that have been treated with creosote.
By avoiding the above mention items when composting you should not have any problems. However, if you decide to use some items that attract unwanted pests it is best to have a completely enclosed compost container such as a compost tumbler. Afterall we are creating some rich, dark soil for all the needs of our flower gardens and vegetable gardens.
