Home Grown Fun

The Quick and Easy Guide to Composting

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Composting is simple if you stick several basic guidelines. Keep this list handy so that you’ll never forget what you can recycle back into the garden.

Composting MaterialsFive Simple Tricks to Get Great Compost

  1. What can I compost? You can compost almost anything in the home garden without much worry or extra knowledge! Exceptions? Items you probably do not want to add to your compost pile or bin unless you’re advanced: meat, cheese and fatty/ greasy foods.
  2. What mix of ingredients makes the best compost? A variety of ingredients produces compost that contains a variety of nutrients! You must combine “Brown” (carbon-rich) materials and “Green” (nitrogen-rich) materials to produce the energy that will power the composting process. Use a ratio such as 60% Brown to 40% Green. In other words, add a bit more Brown than Green. See the amazing list of items you can compost below!
  3. How do I prevent a stinky compost pile? If your pile stinks, Eyou probably have too much Green stuff!  Add more Brown materials and make sure there’s airflow to let oxygen in.
  4. What are some tips to make compost fast? The smaller the pieces, the faster the compost! Rip, shred and break up materials as much as possible. It really does make a difference. Keep the compost damp, like a wrung out sponge. If you allow the sun to hit it full on, you’ll speed up the process! And, as always, create that wonderful mix of Browns and Greens that cause the biological furnace to rage!
  5. Is compost gross? No, absolutely not.  Keep flies away by always covering your materials with Brown stuff. This one technique is so key that many folks give up composting because the pile is a turn off. It doesn’t have to be that way. Shredded cardboard is a great Brown material that when ripped up and placed on top of the compost pile will prevent flies from laying eggs in the Green decomposing items. 

Got questions about compost? Email us at homegrownfunfamily@gmail.com

The Ultimate List of Composting Ingredients

List of BROWN Composting Ingredients

  • Bamboo skewers
  • Bills and other documents you’ve shredded — no one will pick through your compost pile!
  • Bread
  • Business cards (as long as they’re not glossy)
  • Cereal
  • Cereal boxes — tear them up
  • Coffee grounds N and filters
  • Contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister
  • Cotton balls and swabs made from 100% cotton (no plastic sticks)
  • Cotton clothing–rip or cut it into smaller pieces — Yes, you know who you are — just get rid of it already! 
  • Crackers
  • Crepe paper streamers
  • Crumbs
  • Dead houseplants and their soil
  • Dry dog or cat food
  • Dryer lint
  • Envelopes (minus the plastic window)
  • Facial tissues
  • Grass (dried brown)
  • Hay bales you used as part of your outdoor fall decor
  • Leaves (dried)
  • Matches (used)
  • Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird cage G
  • Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces — not the glossy full colored pages)
  • Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which can be toxic to plants)
  • Old herbs and spices
  • Old loofahs
  • Old wool clothing–rip or cut it into smaller pieces
  • Paper bags, either ripped or balled up
  • Paper cupcake or muffin cups
  • Paper egg cartons
  • Paper napkins
  • Paper plates (not the waxy ones)
  • Paper table cloths
  • Paper towel rolls
  • Pencil shavings
  • Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces
  • Pizza crusts 
  • Plain cooked pasta
  • Plain cooked rice
  • Potpourri (natural)
  • Pretzels
  • Raffia
  • Receipts — QUICK, get rid of that receipt. You go to the coffee place way too much!
  • Sticky notes
  • Subscription cards from magazines
  • Tea Bags
  • Toilet paper rolls
  • Toothpicks
  • Wine corks
  • Wrapping paper rolls

List of GREEN Composting Ingredients

  • Dog hair (break up clumps)
  • Evergreen garlands
  • Fish food
  • Flowers from floral arrangements
  • Fruit scraps
  • Fur from the dog or cat brush
  • Grass (fresh)
  • Hair from your hairbrush (break up clumps and scatter)
  • Jelly, jam, or preserves
  • Leaves trimmed from houseplants
  • Manure (Cow, sheep, chicken, rabbit, horse)
  • Nail clippings
  • Natural holiday wreaths
  • Pumpkins and Jack o’ Lanterns
  • Tea
  • Vegetable scraps
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