what do you put in the compost that other may not of thought of?

crs Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:48 am

contents from my sweeper, dirt and dog and cat hair

greatgranny Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:19 am

I never thought of the vacuum cleaner stuff. That's a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion. Smile

southern gardener Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:14 pm

dryer lint and hair from when I cut hair, paper, not glossy but just paper. It's considered a "brown" too which I need sometimes. Good topic!!

**camprn** Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:26 pm

Used plain paper plates, napkins and paper towels (cheap brand of the kind that are not plastic reinforced).

**rowena___.** Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:32 pm

http://www.romesticity.com/2010/06/5-unexpected-things-you-can-put-in-your-composter.html

**RoOsTeR** Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:33 pm

Chicken feathers, horse hair from trail and mane.

**camprn** Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:43 pm

RoOsTeR wrote:Chicken feathers, horse hair from trail and mane.

HA HA, funny you should mention the feathers... I was washing my pillows last weekend and when I opened up the dryer.... Feathers everywhere Shocked

.
IT was so ridiculous,,, I was laughing so hard because it wasn't worth getting upset about it, Very Happy

but what a pain in the neck... my guess is I will be picking up feathers for months in the laundry area and into the compost they will go.

Goosegirl Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:50 pm

I put in the vacuum cleaner bag used for clean-up when I cut Hubby's hair. The only thing that little Mighty Mite is used for is hair collection. Is gray a 'brown' or a 'green'? Razz

GG

**RoOsTeR** Fri Jun 08, 2012 4:27 pm

camprn wrote:
RoOsTeR wrote:Chicken feathers, horse hair from trail and mane.
HA HA, funny you should mention the feathers... I was washing my pillows last weekend and when I opened up the dryer.... Feathers everywhere .
IT was so ridiculous,,, I was laughing so hard because it wasn't worth getting upset about it, but what a pain in the neck... my guess is I will be picking up feathers for months in the laundry area and into the compost they will go.

too funny!

CapeCoddess Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:03 pm

Shrimp & lobster shells and tails. Don't ask me why but it just feels right.

Oh, and I read somewhere on there to use empty tp rolls, so I started putting those in along empty paper towel rolls.

memart1 Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:15 pm

Dryer lint
Thread clippings
Pressed paper egg cartons
Outdated spices

claudiamedic Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:50 pm

Goosegirl wrote:I put in the vacuum cleaner bag used for clean-up when I cut Hubby's hair. The only thing that little Mighty Mite is used for is hair collection. Is gray a 'brown' or a 'green'?

GG

I need more brown...besides paper products, what else is found in urban homes that I can use?

**camprn** Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:05 pm

I threw in some old bee comb that was a little moldy in spots... it sat in there for a while and I rethunk the decision. I retrieved the comb and will uses it elsewhere.... It didn't get any moldier sitting at the top of the compost heap for a week... very interesting... Very Happy

:scratch:

cheyannarach Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:19 pm

Hubby cleaned fish and put the scraps in the tumbler, I told him it was his baby now, ick. Please tell me this is a good thing... I had a bunch of stuff to throw in there today (coir pots, peat pots) after all that planting opened it up and gag, maggots. I managed to flip it once but that is it, I was afraid of them. Do I just leave it alone? Sorry if you are all laughing at me, first time composter here...

**RoOsTeR** Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:22 pm

Do I just leave it alone?

Yippers

landarch Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:27 pm

cheyannarach wrote:Hubby cleaned fish and put the scraps in the tumbler, I told him it was his baby now, ick. Please tell me this is a good thing... I had a bunch of stuff to throw in there today (coir pots, peat pots) after all that planting opened it up and gag, maggots. I managed to flip it once but that is it, I was afraid of them. Do I just leave it alone? Sorry if you are all laughing at me, first time composter here...

the heat generated should kill them off...however they do a good job of breaking the fish down...that's their job.

cheyannarach Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:06 pm

Good to know, I just don't like them. He opened it up the other day and I was downwind of it and it smelled terrible, so I catiously approached it today (he wasn't home) I slowly turned the lid, opened it, peeked inside, saw maggots Evil or Very Mad

, gagged a little pale

, but it didn't smell at all so that's a good sign. I was also impressed by how it's breaking down, it was half full and is now down to a quarter full. I need more browns and have slim pickens, is hair green or brown, lol, I have a lot of hairdresser friends.

squaredeal Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:29 am

I make sure every banana peel and, now, cantalope rine goes in the compost. Banana peels are very high in potassium, but cantalope rines are very high in phosphorus and potassium. And that helps the brocolli make nice big heads. Woo-hoo!

westie Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:13 am

Feathers were mentioned and they are about off the chart with nitrogen compared to many greens. I used to drive around town picking up bags of leaves that were mower chopped now they bring them to me and I return their bags in exchange. Those leaves go thru the shredder a time or two and are like oatmeal flakes or even almost dust. I have four topped garbage cans to store them in and after reduced that much they are actually pretty heavy even though it’s just leaves. That gives plenty of brown and mulches in between seasons besides a lot more that went directly into the compost mix. The most prized contribution I make to the compost bins (4 of them) is my bed pan, the urine is an awfully good activator.

Goosegirl Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:06 am

cheyannarach wrote: I need more browns and have slim pickens, is hair green or brown, lol, I have a lot of hairdresser friends.

The thing to watch with hair from beauty shops is the chemicals - lots of chemically processed hair on those floors! I only use the trimmings from Hubby and myself so I know there are no unwanted chemicals, dyes, bleaches, etc...

GG

cheyannarach Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:25 am

Yeah, I had thought about that, lol!

Laydera Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:48 am

If you use flea an tick items on your pets please dont put the hair from them in your compost. It is toxic, thats why the directions have you apply them where the animal cant get to it along the backbone.

J_in_HamiltonON Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:50 am

cheyannarach wrote:Hubby cleaned fish and put the scraps in the tumbler, I told him it was his baby now, ick. Please tell me this is a good thing... ...

I don't use a tumbler and my impression is that they don't heat up as well as a "static" pile might. I've composted fish and mussels without too much problem. I added maybe 10 pounds of whole fish to the center of a hot pile (130F) two weeks ago. Yes, there was some smell if you were close to the pile not me

, and yes there were some maggots hiding

(not too many). Next time i will add less at one time. All that is left after two weeks is some bones and skin, no smell and no maggots. The bones and skin will be gone before too long as well. Fish and shellfish are the only "meats" I will put into a composter happy smile

. Problem with the mussels is now I have compost full of shells idk

.
I use a fish based fertilizer as needed (drammatic k) so I could only assume that the whole fish into the pile is an excellent nutrient source. veggie fun

.

nanny Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:08 pm

I never thought I would be excited to report that the first compost is ready to use. I had dreaded this process but was tired of always going to the store to purchase. So I tried trash can composting. Worked great for me and I'm ready to put down another batch.

CharlesB Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:59 pm

Pretty much everything plants (and some animals) use as armor and protection:

Banana peels, peanut shells, potato skins, egg shells, melon/squash rinds, corn husks, etc.

Those items are loaded with treasure :-), criminal to throw them away.

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what do you put in the compost that other may not of thought of?

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put it in the compost

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Compost, first batch, is ready

Armor

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