Learn about Composting

Composting is great. It's terrific for your roses and fruit trees. And if you do it you'll be teaching your children (or grandchildren) the benefit of recycling certain waste. Some cities offer free compost bins. Call your local waste management agency for more information. If they aren't helpful call your councilperson.

What should you put in your compost bin? Different people put in different things. I know of one person who puts in almost everything left over from their family's dinner plates. But that same person has problems with rodents trying to get into their compost bin. I don't recommend putting meat or fatty foods in your compost. Or butter, or foods with oil on them. I know a green thumbed gardener who has amazing compost. This is what he puts in his compost bin: Old vegetables, used coffee grinds and tea leaves, flower petals, tree leaves, grass clippings (But go easy on grass. A variety of things is best.), hay, and fruit (Though not banana peels. I was told they can take up to five years to disintegrate. This makes sense. Both my sister-in-law and I have seen banana peels rotting in our composts after six months). Whenever my greened thumbed friend adds anything new to his compost he gets a shovel and mixes everything together, digging down deep. He lets the very lowest layer of his compost decompose for six months before he uses it. Here's a tip to get things to decompose faster in your compost pile- wet it down every week (Unless it rains or snows. The compost bin tops I've seen have holes to let rain in).

More information: Other people have told me they put stale bread and cereals in their compost. I personally don't. And I wouldn't recommend putting in any sugary items (surgery cereals, granola bars with chocolate, or desserts) or any food that has honey on it. The bin might attract bees or ants. Also, don't put in sticks. They don't rot fast enough and it can clog up the compost at the bottom where the bin door is. (This happened to my sister.) And from my own personal experience I find that egg shells don't seem to break down very fast, so I don't put them in the compost either.