What to Compost

• Posted on Faith M. Davis
• in Growing Herbs
• on November 15, 2013

In a previous article, called What Not to Compost, we covered what items you should not put in your compost. Now you might be wondering what you should compost!

Below is a list of common items that you can put in your compost bin for safe and effective organic matter.

Don’t miss the What to Compost Infographic below the article!

Here is what to compost to create a nutrient-dense organic matter to help your herbs, vegetables and plants grow beautifully:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps (remove seeds first, and don’t compost citrus fruits)
• Eggshells (best when crushed)
• Coffee grounds (you can add non-bleached filters too)
• Tea leaves & tea bags (without the staple)
• Spent herbs & herb scraps
• Shredded paper (non-glossy)
• Cardboard (shred it before adding it to compost)
• Corn cobs and stalks (best when chopped up)
• Nut shells
• Leaves (break down easier when shredded and only in moderate amounts)
• Grass clippings
• Garden plants (disease free only)
• Lawn and garden weeds
• Shrub prunings
• Straw or hay
• Pine needles (only in moderate amounts)
• Flowers
• Wood chips (only in moderate amounts)
• Manure from animals that only eat plants
• Wood ashes

Sources:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/downloads/pdf/materials/tipsheet-what-to-compost.pdf

http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html

Photo courtesy of worradmu, freedigitalphotos.net