| Ashes | Maybe | From untreated wood or paper, yes, in small amounts; but not from barbecues, plywood, coloured or glossy paper |
| Banana Skins | Yes | Decompose rapidly; can help to activate a slow compost; loaded with plant nutrients |
| Cardboard | Yes | Shred, soak, and mix with "greens"; but try first to reuse or recycle it |
| Citrus Fruits | Yes | Shred rinds; bury in compost to discourage fruit flies |
| Coffee Grounds | Yes | Good earthworm food; use directly on many plants; compost shredded filters, too |
| Corn Cobs | Yes | Shred; adds both fibre and nutrients to compost; good mulch; slow to break down |
| Dairy Products | No | Fats seal off air from compost; odours attract pests |
| Diseased Plants | No | Compost heat may not destroy disease; destroy or discard to avoid spreading |
| Dishwater | Maybe | If water doesn't contain grease or chemical cleansers, use it to wet pile |
| Dust and Lint | Maybe | Use vacuum cleaner debris and lint from clothes dryer, if mostly natural fibres |
| Eggshells | Yes | Dry and crush first; good earthworm food; slow to break down; help neutralize acidity; as mulch, may discourage slugs |
| Evergreen Needles | Maybe | Highly acidic; better yet, use as mulch |
| Fabrics | Maybe | Small scraps of wool, cotton, felt and silk; not synthetic fibres or blends |
| Feathers | Yes | Keep somewhat wetter than usual; extremely high in nitrogen |
| Fish | Maybe | Odours and pests are problems with fresh or smoked fish, but dried fishmeal is fine |
| Grass Clippings | Yes | Available and valuable; mix well to avoid clumps; leave some clippings to feed lawn |
| Hair | Yes | Both human and pet hair; keep quite damp; avoid using if coloured with chemicals |
| Hay and Straw | Yes | Very good fibre, nutrients usually low |
| Leaves | Yes | Shred and soak; add both nutrients and fibre; tend to be slightly acidic |
| Manure | Yes | Cow, horse, pig, rabbit, poultry -- the fresher the better -- helps any compost |
| Meat and Bones | No | Odours and pests are problems; but dried, ground bonemeal is fine source of nitrogen |
| Soil | Yes | Adds decomposer soil organisms; scatter lightly through pile to avoid compacting |
| Nutshells | Maybe | Crush delicate shells like peanuts; heavier shells are better used as decorative mulch |
| Paper | Maybe | Shred; not glossy/coloured which contain chemicals; better to recycle if possible |
| Pet Wastes | No | Risk of pathogens and parasites; use only barnyard manure (horse, cow, sheep, etc.) |
| Rhubarb | Maybe | Raw leaves poisonous to humans; composted leaves may harm insects and other plants; stems are fine; roots may continue to grow |
| Sawdust | Maybe | Hardwood sawdust, yes, in very small quantities; softwoods may inhibit composting; plywood may contain chemicals |
| Seafood Shells | Yes | Crush or grind very finely; break down very slowly; reduce acidity; good mulch |
| Seaweed | Yes | Rinse off salt so it won't contaminate soil; great fertilizer |
| Sod | Yes | Knock off excess soil; pile upside down; cover to prevent rooting; compost separately to avoid compaction |
| Soup | Maybe | Vegetable, yes; do not use soups with cream or meat-based broths to avoid odours and pests; read labels on canned soups. |
| Tea Leaves | Yes | High in nitrogen; can be applied directly to some plants; compost tea bags too |
| Toadstools | Yes | Decompose quickly; excellent source of many minerals |
| Weeds | Yes | Discard mature seeds, persistent roots, weeds treated with herbicides/pesticides |
| Wood Chips | Yes | Shred if possible and soak; use big pieces as mulch first, compost when weathered |
Spring is Finally showing itself again and I've been thinking about gardening. Because we will be starting a new garden this year at our new home, we will need to start from scratch. Pierre plowed a plot last fall and now its time to rototill all the goodies into it. We will be starting a compost bin but in the mean time we have been saving up egg shells ( crushed of course), coffee grinds and leaf piles all winter to plow in for this year. I have found a list of compostables for anyone who's wondering what's hot and what's not. Happy gardening !
