101 things you can compost

[possum]

It might do, but probably best off sowing some more as it is a short lived plant anyway. The cheapest way of getting the seed I have found is buying it to use in cooking, I got loads coming up from it.

[hamster]

Meh, stuck with only a windowsill and moving out in a few weeks, not sure sowing any new is really an option. I'll feed it some coffee and see what happens, and grow some more when I've got more space!

[the.fee.fairy]

Bodily Excretions (i'm beginning to think i've got a bit of a thing going on now...).

It is possible to compost pee, and menstrual fluid, and extremely beneficial to your plants if you do (lots of people aply pee directly, and there is a set of women who dilute their mentrual fluid and feed that to the plants too).

Done properly, Faecal matter can be composted too, but its not recommended that you use it on your veg!

[MadTom]

I'd really like to make use of my left over animal products - I'd tried keeping the bones to burn to make bonemeal but the get a bit high and the smoke can be a bit rich too.
There must be a way of 'composting' them (and meat scraps) to remove most of the fat and flesh so that any goodness is retained and the bones can then be burned and crushed?
Would a large worm composter be OK and does anyone have any designs?

[possum]

Just bury the meat/bones, it is what we have done in the past, the best bit of grass in one field is where the offal from two sheep are buried. We also chuck anything that is smelling really bad (meat inadvertently let go off in the fridge) to the boundary fence away from the house, so we are not going to smell it, it either then dessicates and stops smelling or something eats it. I should add the latter solution is probably not suitable for urban back gardens

[QuakerBear]

Gone off milk.

Ash from fires and BBQ's.

[wulf]

Newspaper - not in huge quantities but I normally line my indoor compost bin with a sheet of newspaper. It greatly reduces the amount of sticky stuff left on the inside of the bin after emptying and means that I rarely have to go beyond the occasional quick rinse to keep it from smelling bad in the kitchen.

I've not found anything identifiable as newspaper once the compost is ready.

Wulf

[ina]

My OH wants me to put a wee list up so that he doesn't need to ask what can be put in our compost heap - we are moving to a house with a garden (and an open fire) and bless his cotton socks

Yep, cotton socks can go on, too!

In fact, woolly socks, too... Any woolly items, of course, or cotton items. I tend to cut them up a bit - just in case an animal goes routing through my compost heap and drags off a pair of knickers...
Bits of leather, too. I suppose dumping entire walking boots might be taking it a bit far - but the ancient, brittle bits of leather upper should be fine.

[Annpan]

wow, I was surprised to see that it was me who started this thread Just shows how my life has changed in the past year.

Now everything goes for compost (well just about everything) I fill whole cardboard boxes with veg peelings, newspaper, ash (just wood ash, not coal ash), rags... Then I take the whole box up to the compost bins... Mind you I have 3 HUGE compost bins now, so I have plenty of space for the stuff.

[Green Rosie]

Used tissues
Wet liners from re-useable nappies
Cardboard egg boxes and the like (am I right in saying these can't be recycled?)

[multiveg]

I'd really like to make use of my left over animal products - I'd tried keeping the bones to burn to make bonemeal but the get a bit high and the smoke can be a bit rich too.
There must be a way of 'composting' them (and meat scraps) to remove most of the fat and flesh so that any goodness is retained and the bones can then be burned and crushed?
Would a large worm composter be OK and does anyone have any designs?

Worms would work. Also, try Bokashi. Ordered my set earlier this month and hope it arrives soon (says within 28 days of order..), from Recycle Now.

[Sky]

Can you throw wet tab end roll ups on the compost heap?
We don't smoke but when our friends visit we're left with loads of tab ends, should I just burn them on the fire or could they be composted?