What can you compost?

Look, composting is one of the best things you can do for your garden, or your yard.

There are multitudes of minerals and nutrients in a good compost.

Simply put, compost makes a wonderful addition to the soil.

These additives can help your crops grow large and healthy.

Having compost, when done right, may be the best thing you can do for your soil.

So what exactly can you compost? Let’s take a look!

Why Should You Have a Compost Pile?

Composting is one of the best things that you can do for your garden.

By composting, you are putting a lot of vital nutrients into your soil, that would have otherwise left the property.

A compost pile is a great way to keep valuable nutrients which you can use on your lawn and in your garden beds! Although a compost pile may not cover all of your fertilizer needs, it can help cut down on fertilizer applications.

It can also provide complementary needs that may not be provided by your granular lawn fertilizer.

Two Types of Compostable Materials

Generally, compost is separated into two different types.

Green Compost and Brown Compost:

Green compost is anything like:

Fruit and vegetable scraps,
Egg shells,
Tea bags,
Fresh grass clippings a
Table scraps that do not include meat or bones.

Brown compost is brown made of materials such as:

Dry leaves,
Wood shavings,
Nuts and shells,
Coffee and coffee filters.
Shredded newspaper
Hay and peanut shells.

You can also compost plates, cups, utensils or partyware, but only if they are the compostable variety.

Fun fact! You can put your own hair clippings into your compost too. It will put a huge amount of nitrogen into the soil. Just make sure that you don't put too much hair into the soil, as too much nitrogen can be harmful to the compost.

Things You Should Not Compost

It’s true, you can't compost everything.

Here are 3 things you should not compost:

1. Don’t Compost Meat or Bones

You should not compost any sort of meat. Including fish or bones.

The problem is that these types of matter decay slowly and they will attract animals to your compost, including rats.

2. Don’t Compost Diseased Plants

Her'es why, having diseased plants in your compost can lead spreading the disease to the rest of the plants in your garden.

3. Don’t Compost Animal Waste

You should never compost pet feces. They may contain parasites that are harmful to humans. Additionally, dog waste can collectively be bad for local waterways and can lead to several types of environmental issues.

Always Add A Compost Starter!

Look, the best way to compost your material quickly is to use a compost starter.

What is a Compost Starter?

Composting relies on microorganisms to assist in breaking down the material. A compost starter is essentially made of microbes which will assist in speeding up the composting process.

A compost starter may be purchased at the local department store. But there is a better option...

Most people don’t know this, but you can simply use completely broken down compost as a compost starter! The broken down compost will include all of the essential microbes necessary to start the process over again.

If you Bag Your Grass, Compost the Clippings

If you are one of the folks that likes to bag your grass clippings. You should compost your clippings!

Here’s the deal, nearly everything your grass needs to grow is contained in those clippings.

After letting your grass clippings compost for a year or so, you can add them back to the lawn as a top dressing. This practice of composting can even help eliminate an application or two of fertilizer on your lawn.

What’s The Bottom Line On What You Can Compost?

There are a lot of great reasons to practice composting. It can even help save you money on fertilizer when used correctly.

It can also help out the environment by preventing valuable, nutrient-rich, organic material from going to the landfill, where it will be caught up an anaerobic cycle. Organic material will not break down nearly as fast in a landfill.

And, if you need help with your lawn, garden, landscape or compost pile...

Be sure to hit up the pros at GreenPal!