Did you know that forgetting to compost is one of the most common mistakes that beginning gardeners make? The home is full of unusual compost items that you may not have ever thought to throw on the compost pile.
I am a huge fan of composting for vegetable gardening. The end product is wonderful for your soil and also makes use of things that are otherwise discarded which end up on the refuse piles and leave a big carbon footprint.
Adding fresh organic matter that has been formed in compost piles is the perfect addition to your vegetable gardens. This organic matter nourishes both the plants and the soil, resulting in healthy plants and higher crop yields.
You can even compost without a compost pile if you use the direct composting method!
Most people know that you need both greens and browns in a compost pile and make use of garden waste and kitchen scraps, but there are loads of unusual items that can also be added that many people may not think of.
Unusual Compost Items
When it comes to composting there are some specific rules, such as the ratio of green to brown (varies and depends on the pile but normally about 2 green to 3 brown). Other rules are no meat products or plastics.
But there are so many things out there that can be added to a compost pile and some are things you may not have thought of. That dog hair that you get in your vacuum cleaner is a perfect example.
Here are a few of the oddities:
- 100% cotton balls
- Used Matches
- Used Tissues
- Paper Towels
- Wine Corks
- Peanut shells
- Used Tea bags
- Used Coffee Grounds
- Contents of vacuum bags
- Pizza boxes (clean)
- Aquarium water
- Pet Hair
- Eggshells
- Old dried spices
- Human hair
- Dryer Lint
- Stale bread
- Bamboo skewers
- Toothpicks
- Toilet paper rolls
- Stale Bread
- Stale pretzels
- Plain cooked pasta
- Shredded junk mail
- Crepe paper streamers from parties
- Christmas tree (chop it up first with a wood chipper)
- Flowers from floral arrangements
- Hay bales when your decorations are over
- Alcohol from beer bottles after a party (moistens the pile and activates it)
- Wood ashes (be careful if you have low soil PH
- Paperback books – remove the linings.
As you can see the list is almost endless. Be sure to also see my list of items you should not compost.
Can you think of other things that would be good to add to a compost pile? Add them in the comments below.
Theresa Wheat
Friday 31st of August 2018
I have a blender I picked up at a thrift store for $3.00 and now I blend all my vegetable and fruit scraps it saves on breaking down time.....
Carol
Saturday 1st of September 2018
That's a good idea Theresa. Thanks for sharing it. Carol
Alicia Newman
Tuesday 5th of June 2018
I compost all our utilized espresso beans and paper channel, purged egg shells, banana peels, lemon/orange/lime peels, shriveled tragic greens ,veggies we didn't get the chance to eat from our crisper (how individuals toss these things of gold that could in their starter compost/containers rather, would rather observe them down the transfer is a disgrace!), our bathroom tissue moves/paper rolls, withered darker leaves , grower with earth to associate in decomposition as I stroll in the garden as I complete a disregard:
I toss everything in a round tumbler with side wheels, water everything altogether, shut the cover and roll the canister 2x once per week and viola by the third week, I have my dark gold compost (a modest bunch of my compost brimming with gainful microorganisms!! exceeds 1 gallon of that rubbish engineered supernatural occurrence grew-toss it out people, ) Since utilizing just my compost, my garden hasn't been healthier, so solid I haven't needed to test my dirt for a long time now. Each nursery worker out there hear what I'm saying. COMPOSTING ROCKS and Spares Cash, YOUR PLANTS WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT SO DO IT !!
Ps, I decline to pee on my compost lol, fecal issue is unquestionably a NONO, I still can't seem to utilize build up, dress, hair and nail clippings however my compost is A+ with what I expressed I've been utilizing, air (tumbling) and water- - everybody has all to make theirs beginning today! Good fortunes.
Cynthia
Saturday 21st of October 2017
Hamsters/guinea pig/rabbits' droppings and bedding
Carol
Saturday 21st of October 2017
Great suggestions Cynthia. Didn't think of that. Carol
Mary Bass
Tuesday 13th of June 2017
Collect pumpkins after Halloween. Chop them up with a shovel and add to compost pile. They decompose quickly and make a great addition.
Carol
Tuesday 13th of June 2017
That's a great tip Mary. Thanks for sharing it! Carol
adelheid
Sunday 14th of May 2017
Hi All, I have leftovers from growing my one mushrooms, spawn, strow, grains, coffie ground ans woodchips. All grown with myselium and fungi. Also old or dryed mushrooms go on the compost bin. Also in the worm bin, the worms love it too.