Making Dirt: Compost Do's and Don'ts

Hello Gardeners,

We had a great meeting on January 22nd, and Colleen gave us an excellent overview of what we're including in our Community Garden Compost pile. We want your garbage! (Sort of.) Please read through the following guidelines that she shared with us, and join us in making dirt.

From Colleen's handout:

Compost provides numerous benefits to a garden. It adds nutrients to garden soil, encourages worm activity, provides mulch cover and reduces recyclable yard and raw kitchen waste that would otherwise end up in local landfills. Successful composting uses a '50/50 Rule': 50% Carbon (brown material) and 50% Nitrogen (green material). To ensure continued success, it is important to know which material can and cannot be included in the composting process.

COMPOST NO NO'S: These items should not go into a compost pile...

1. Meat products: these can attract unwanted visitors to a compost bin as well as cause the compost to develop a foul odor.
2. Dairy products: these will also attract visitors and encourage foul odors.
3. Animal feces: including bedding and litter. This poses a potential health risk. Cat litter may contain a pathogen that can carry taxoplasmosis. The exception to this rule is chicken and cow manure from farm animals, as these animal's diets are plant based.
4. Diseased plants: these will transfer fungal diseases to healthy garden plants.
5. Weeds: these will thrive in a compost bin rather than break down, resulting in weed seed transfer to the garden boxes.
6. Paper products: including household shredding, newspaper (contains additives and synthetic resins), cardboard, coffee filters, paper plates, etc. Unfortunately, many paper products contain man-made chemicals that can alter soil ph levels.
7. Walnut shells: these contain juglone, which are toxic to some plants (especially tomatoes and apple trees).
8. Sawdust: treated wood contains many harmful chemicals such as arsenic, carcinogens, insecticides and fungicides.
9. Cooking oil: this will alter the soil ph levels.
10. Rice: attracts unwanted visitors.
11. Cooked leftover table scraps: these can contain cooking oils, dairy or meat products. Can also attract rats.
12. Coal ashes: this can be toxic to plants.
13. Dryer lint: dryer sheets contain perfumes and chemicals that can alter soil ph levels.

COMPOST DO'S: The following items are beneficial additions to a compost pile...

1. Raw fruit and veggie scraps
2. Egg shells
3. Coffee grounds
4. Grass clippings: pesticide free, please.
5. Leaves and plant trimmings
6. Pine cones and needles
7. Hay, straw, alfalfa
8. Pet and human hair
9. Nuts and shells: except for walnuts (see Compost No No's above).
10. Tea leaves
11. Farm animal manure, such as that from chickens and cows.

For questions regarding any items that have not been included in this list, please feel free to contact us.

The information on this list was gathered from many helpful gardening sources such as www.motherearthnews.com, www.organicgardening.com, www.texasgardener.com, Reader's Digest 1001 Hints & Tips For Your Garden, Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, as well as personal gardening experience. Happy Gardening!