Backyard Living 101: What can I put into a compost heap?

July 31, 5:14 PMBackyard Living ExaminerJane Gates

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Backyard living 101: What can I put into my compost heap?

Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic material. Everything that has lived eventually dies, breaks down and goes back into the soil from which nutrients are recycled to feed new life. We can do our own versions of composting by creating compost heaps or piles. They can be built casually as heaps where organic matter is regularly thrown and breaks down over time, intentionally constructed in contained areas like dug holes, pens of broken wooden palettes or areas fenced in by chicken wire, or they can be bought in ready-made box-like or barrel-like containers. There are even special systems you can set up inside or outside the house with worms called verimculture.

Whatever form you use to create your compost heap, there are a few tips you can follow to have more success. You will need to locate your compost heap where it is convenient to use but where it won’t attract pests near the house. You will want to keep it moist and turned so it is well aerated. But most important is to make sure you know what to put into a compost heap.

The two best sources for materials to put in a compost heap are the kitchen and your own garden. Use all those pieces of fruits and vegetables you would normally discard. Eggshells are good to crumble and tea leaves and coffee grounds are excellent. Just about everything that is NOT a meat product or by-product (like milk products) will be fine. Avoid all meats and meat by-products as they take longer to break down, can develop more dangerous organisms and will attract undesirable meat-eating critters to your garden.

You can use all those prunings, clippings and snipped flower heads from the garden. Leaves from trees are excellent, but if you are using a lot of leaves – like in the autumn – try shredding them and mixing them with other materials so they don’t form water-impenetrable mats. Woody materials should be chipped or broken down into smaller pieces to breakdown faster.

These are all good materials that will answer the question of what can go into a compost heap. Apart from meat products, also avoid animal droppings from pets or farm animals that are meat eaters including dogs and cats. These can carry disease. They’ll also smell bad. But waste from rabbits, chickens, goats, llamas, horses and all other herbivores will make excellent compost once it has broken down.

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