Question

Hi folks, my OH has made a compost bin today, mainly cos our green bin was overflowing - it’s presently got grass clippings & carrot peel/ends in but I’d like to know - What else can I put in? What should I definitely not put in? Thanks in advance you super lot  

Answer 1

Don't put potato peelings in there  

Comments

@woodland  why. I've started 1 a couple of weeks ago & hadn't read you couldn't ‍♀️

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@residual yes you can if your lucky you may get some potatoes growing.  

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@residual in case the potatoes have blight, a fungal infection.  

Answer 2

Don't put cooked food waste in it

Answer 3

I read up about compost bins I think u need more brown items such as leaves then green like your not used veg, I also read that it shouldn't have a nasty smell as long as you stick to that, I haven't done one but I'm sure that's what I read as I was thinking of doing one but my kids would just mess with it lol

Answer 4

Don’t put any meat/fish, cooked or raw. No cooked or processed food. You can put any raw veg or fruit waste, egg shells, tea leaves/coffee grounds (tea bags in theory though they do have a tiny amount of plastic), some delivered magazines now have compostable covers, shredded paper and cardboard, hair e. g. from your hairbrush etc. A mix of layers is good, I. e. some grass then kitchen waste, paper, before more grass. You can get a compost turner/stir-er online, can’t remember the website now, but it is important to somehow mix it round or turn it over to get air into it. Oh, I chuck some garden worms in mine every time I find a few, as they help to break it all down  

Comments

@brougham9630 also you can tip your hoover bag in there, I have made mine out of 3 old tyres. Just harvested my 1st lot of compost, which has come just right for the current situation.  

Answer 5

Anything that has not been cooked can be added. If you have egg shells pop into the bottom of the oven when you use it then grind up to fine sand like consistency. That can then be used to put around Rose's or break up as small as possible & add to compost heap. Worms are the best thing they love to munch through whatever you put in. You can send off for some! So yes to Grass cuttings, leaves, peelings from veg, veg or salad that is past using. Any garden waste but beware of adding weeds especially the roots or seed heads. If you are bought flowers these can also be added when they are past their best. In the autumn leaves can be added. Never add Cooked food of any description, bones etc.  

Answer 6

You need dry stuff too , cardboard, paper, hair.  

Answer 7

Following with interest. Can someons tell me why can't you put cooked food in?  

Comments

It's animal stuff including milk products that really attract rats, cooked veg not so much of a problem.  

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@pedro9 thankyou. I've just started a bin myself and knew not to put meat and dairy in. my question was definitely aimed at things like leftover veg. Thankyou.  

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@rufe2 No cooked food x

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@rufe2 it's got to do with the temperature, cold composting is what u do in your garden, hot composting is what recycling centre can do and kin that case you can put cooked food in

Answer 8

They will putrify and cause a bad smell attract flies, rats and other rodents

Answer 9

I didn’t think you could put grass init because it’s too ‘wet’ and generates too much heat when decomposing? I may be wrong though  

Comments

@pavement i think you can if you balance it out with carbon containing items like card and twigs the “brown” material x

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You can put grass clippings in but need twiggy bits to get air in decomposition does generate heat in the compost heap that's part of the rotting process

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Need the balance of brown(leaves, shredded paper, twigs) to green ( veg, grass clippings) need the heat to help decompose and kill any seeds that may try to germinate. Mine didn't heat up enough and now I have volunteer tomatoes coming up where I didnt intend.  

Answer 10

Onions skins aren’t great but won’t hurt - you need to get the male members of your household to wee in it!  

Comments

@stutz why male only?  

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@lastditch just from a logistics point of view - quite hard to sit on a compost heap!  

Answer 11

Anything that was alive once will make compost, mix green stuff (grass, kitchen waste, plant clippings) with brown stuff (dead leaves, twigs, cardboard - ripped up egg box straw etc) things take about as long to break down as they did to grow. Chop up big stems and twigs, never put more than 4" of anything in without another layer in between. add a liitle bit of soil, hunt out nettles, comfrey and yarrow to put in all really good. and get a bloke to pee on it occasionally.  

Answer 12

Have a look at the Make soil page it helps the environment.  

Answer 13

I usually rip the loo and kitchen roll tubes up and they go in. Occasionally I’ll shred a newspaper and put that in too. All my dead-heading go in.  

Answer 14

Make sure it stands on soil (not a hard surface like a concrete slab). Earth worms can make their way from your garden to the compost bin, and they will help the composting process. Also if you happen to dig some border in your garden and come across some worms, put some of them inside the compost bin.  

Comments

@lastditch why do you say not to put it on a hard surface? Mine has always been on concrete slabs

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@drudge My 1st compost bin some years ago was standing on a concrete slab, it just rot because there was no worms inside it. Whereas if it stands on soil, the warms will get inside it and start the composting process

Answer 15

I've heard that if the gentleman of the house has a wee in there it helps things get started too!  

Answer 16

Shredded paper layed with plant materials

Answer 17

Thanks folks, some really great advice there especially about the brown/other stuff; I appreciate it xx

Answer 18

Man wee really helps!  

Answer 19

Don’t put waste food in as it attracts mice, google it

Answer 20

Lager, definitely don’t put lager in it.  

Answer 21

I add a bag of compost to cover veg and peelings.  

Answer 22

You’ll need carbon, grass clippings and veg peelings will be very wet and turn to a smelly sludge alone. Try to dig out some old brown cardboard boxes and add a decent amount shredded up to balance out the amount of green in there  enjoy

Answer 23

No onion skins or any onion family waste. But everything else

Comments

@lidialidice I've always put onion waste in mine & it's never been a problem.  

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@drudge oh my husband is a farmer and he always says no. hmm

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@lidialidice ok. Tbh I've just thrown all veg in there. If your husband says it causes a problem please let me know & I'll stop doing it  

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@drudge I just know he wont let me put onion waste in ours. I'll ask him why prob told me before I just dont listen lol

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@lidialidice . If you do find out can you let me know please

Answer 24

It will help to water the compost every now & then. What I don't do is put weeds in it. I burn those & sprinkle the ash around the garden

Answer 25

Always put mine on slabs to stop rats digging in and nesting.  

Answer 26

Avoid meat chicken bones they attract vermim any paper torn up small look at the interweb Mick Poultney for examples

Answer 27

Empty loo roll and cardboard egg cartons, tea bags that haven’t got plastic in them, veg peelings, ends of broccoli, filtered coffee grounds, egg shells Watch some YouTube videos as you need the right combination of things

Answer 28

Food waste as it will attract vermin. We put all sorts in ours. Any veg waste any greenery from garden ( we shred it all to hasten composting) we have put newspapers and cardboard in BUT they take a long time to break down.