Composting

Yes, hair can generally be composted, but if you’re thinking of lots of hair from a barber shop or salon or such, I would be careful not to include hair that has had various materials added to it, shampoo or conditioner or whatever, unless you’ve checked them out.

Yes, pencil shavings, including the wood, graphite etc., are compostable. The little bit of paint won’t matter, and the metal band could conceivably be recycled with other metal, if there’s enough quantity to make it a factor.

Yes, compost critters love their pizza crusts!  I break them into little pieces for quicker digestion by the microbes.  

A compost pile has 4 basic needs, which are green materials (higher in nitrogen), brown materials (higher in carbon), air, and water.

Put all these together and put them in touch with the ground or with materials that have been on the ground, and the microbes will take over

Great question!  The short answer is no, lime is not necessary for compost.  People may add lime directly to their garden soil if they discover that its pH (acidity or alkalinity) is wrong for their crops. To determine that, they should get a soil sample tested at a reputable lab.  Such a lab is at Virginia Tech, and you can get a free soil test kit at your local Extension Office (e.g., at the Rowser Building on Route 1 in Stafford).  The only cost is $10 to cover the cost of reagents.

There was a time in the past when lime was often recommended for compost, but closer testing has revealed that it can do as much harm as good.  So hold back unless you have a specific reason to do it.

Absolutely!  I do that all the time!  The only concern might be the accumulation under the mower, but a good bath periodically with a garden hose should keep the underbelly clean and clear of rust.

By all means yes!  Newspapers nowadays do not contain anything particularly harmful.  Stay away from any glossy inserts though, or plastic wrappings.  And take care that the newspaper doesn’t prevent air or water from getting into the compost pile. Do this by shredding it or mixing pieces of newspaper with other materials to permit air and water to get in.

Yes, fruit waste is fine in the compost pile.  Okay, maybe an occasional seed will survive and sprout, but so might lots of other things that find their way into the pile.  Usually, the heat generated by the compost will be sufficient to prevent seeds from sprouting.  Fruit rinds, skins, seeds, cores, etc., are all-natural and excellent compost components.

Good question; sod can indeed be composted, like when you clear a new patch of lawn for your garden and/or compost pile.  Sod, of course, is tough and tight by itself, so it would have to be chopped or shredded or whatever works to break it up. It usually comes with its own soil attached, so you want to be sure that it is broken apart into smaller bits so that the composting can proceed.  It may also come with some worms and bugs, all the more helpful to the composting process.  One thought, though:  don’t try to compost sod that may have had weed killer applied recently, as this can’t do anything good for your compost.

Thanks for all these questions!  And remember to keep the balance in your pile between Greens (nitrogen-containing materials) and Browns (carbon materials), air, and water, so that the aerobic microbes are free to do their work!  Happy Composting!

There are advantages to each, so it’s hard to choose. A wet area might need more brown stuff to absorb the moisture and prevent it from getting stinky from lack of air in the mix. A dry area on the other hand needs added moisture. Just do it!

It can take weeks or more likely months for compost to mature and season. Turn it periodically and dampen it if dry. Once it’s all broken down and crumbly then it’s ready. Flowers and plants will love it!

We want to have a balance between “greens” (stuff containing more nitrogen like coffee grounds, kitchen scraps and grasses) and “browns” (carbon-based, like old leaves and woody items like sticks, cardboard, etc). Keep it all moist and turn it occasionally so air gets to the microbes.

Manure is great with compost, and can help heat up the pile. Be sure to mix the manure with carbon-based stuff like chopped leaves, cardboard etc, plus kitchen scraps, and keep it damp and allow air to get in so the microbes can have a feast!

“Organic” means natural, without pesticides or herbicides and such. So yes, composting can be organic, and it’s better that way.

Assuming the dye is food coloring, then no problem, naturally. Paint or other media would have to be investigated, or just avoided.

For backyard composting, we tend to avoid stuff that, while organic, could take a longer time to compost, Including bones, gristle, fat, shells, and such. But they do eventually disintegrate, so if that compost pile can wait, do it!  I’m thinking of a hole in the ground or some such thing…!

The sun will always help the pile warm up more, but it’s not necessary for the compost materials to heat up. With the proper mix of greens, browns, air and moisture, anywhere is fine. In fact, the garden will appreciate the sunny spots more than the compost will!

Those things are fine, especially for the companies selling them, but they are not usually needed. The proper mix of ingredients, plus access to the ground so the microbes, bugs and worms can get involved, is all you need. In an above ground container, it’s wise to throw in some soil and worms once it’s gotten going.

Usually the rain is good for keeping the pile moist, but in a deluge, the rain can overdo it, and tamp down the whole mix, thus blocking off the access of air into the pile. Probably good to throw on a cardboard raincoat when the monsoon arrives! Anchor it with rocks or such.

The easiest way to compost without a yard would be to save your kitchen scraps in a container in your freezer (no stink) and contribute the frozen product every so often to a friend or community compost space.  I have a few friends without yards who give me their frozen compositions and in exchange I occasionally give them some finished “Black Gold” for their potted porch plants or to strain for compost tea for their house plants.  And thanks for helping save the planet.

The food scrap collection bin should be emptied into your outside compost bin daily so it doesn’t stink. The best alternative is to dedicate a corner of the freezer for a scrap collection container (airtight) and arrange to contribute the frozen composition when it is full, to your compost bin.

Speeding up the composting process can be done in a number of ways.  You can chop up your kitchen and house plant scraps as you collect them, manually or in a chopper or blender. If they are cut up finely, then they will break down more quickly into wonderful compost. Also, as you put the scraps into your outdoor compost bin, you can cover them with chopped leaves or other “brown” material, and see that the whole mix is dampened, which will also speed things up. As the mix in your compost bin ages, you can turn it over periodically to re-mix the product, allowing fresh access to air and moisture. This is also an opportunity to restore the balance of the compost material to the desired mix, making sure that the “greens” and “browns” are close to a 50/50 mixture and are uniformly damp (like a wrung-out sponge).  Greens, as you probably know, are those items that contain more nitrogen, like grass clippings, coffee grounds, fresh kitchen scraps, and such.  Browns are carbon-loaded items, like leaves, tiny twigs, straw, torn-up cardboard, shredded paper, and such.  And the more often you turn your mix, the faster it will compost!  And you’re a hero!

They say it can take three months or so to get compost you can use if you are incredibly diligent about it, but I don’t know anybody like that! Usually, we leave it out there for a while then remember to go and turn it refresh the mix, and rebalance the air and moisture.  Composting requires patience, as it takes about a year for well-finished compost.  First, the mix will heat up, due to the hot microbes, then it will cool down and other kinds of microbes get to chewing and chomping. Then it has to finish up when the earthworms and other little critters move it and help out.  We have to give it an occasional nudge by turning it, rebalancing Greens and Browns as needed, adding moisture if it’s not still damp, and making sure air gets in there to help too.  Thanks for helping keep greenhouse gases out of our atmosphere!

The best time to start composting is now!  It’s always a good time to start. Right now, there are some free piles of leaves still around to go and collect (be careful to ask permission!).  I keep a year’s supply of leaves nearby so I can start a new bin anytime. We’re indoors more nowadays, so it’s a great time to start collecting kitchen scraps in a freezer container (no stink).  Pick a convenient place in the yard, clear it, protect it all around with fine-holed chicken wire or hardware cloth, and start loading it!  Keep an eye out for critters like a neighbor’s dog or a feral cat (or other critters!)  Join a compost messaging group and start bragging! Composters are awesome!

It is not usually necessary to add calcium to the compost as various compostable materials have some calcium in them, such as egg shells.  All compost needs is a balance of organic material, roughly 50% “greens,” (higher in nitrogen) and 50% “browns” (higher in carbon).

IF your concern is about the amount of calcium in your garden, then I recommend getting a soil test; go to your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office and get a free soil test kit. If your garden is large and varied, then get multiple kits.  The Stafford Extension office, for example, is at the Rowser Building, 1739 Jeff Davis Highway 22554. The test itself costs a mere $10 payable to Va Tech and may be more reliable than most soil tests available in garden centers.

Newspaper can definitely be composted, as it is high in carbon, and the inks currently used are reasonably safe.  However, it’s good to stay away from glossy inserts and such, as they may contain plastic materials.  For newspaper, it’s better to shred it and dampen it a bit so that it has moisture and air readily available.

Compost breaks down naturally when it has a balance of “greens” and “browns,” that is, roughly half nitrogen-based and half carbon-based.  Materials with more nitrogen include “green” clippings of grass or leaves, stems and flowers, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and such, while carbon-based materials are “brown” leaves, twigs, paper, shredded newspaper and cardboard, among others.  If this 50/50 balance exists in your pile, then please make sure that it is kept damp (like a wrung-out sponge) and well aerated.  Oftentimes compost can get matted down and air cannot get to the microbes that need it to do their work.  Or it is kept too dry and the microbes get thirsty.

These things are usually not needed if the compost materials are well balanced with greens and browns, air and moisture (see above comments).  The composting microbes that do the work are already naturally present in the soil and on materials that go into compost, like leaves, grass, clippings, etc.

Yes, compost often has all the components of fertilizers already in it, from the materials it came from.  I would recommend a soil test if you haven’t done one in the last few years, before adding fertilizer to your soil.  See the question above about getting an inexpensive soil test from the Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory, using a soil test kit from the County Extension Office.

And for general questions, I recommend doing a computer search for the Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-703P, “Making Compost from Yard Waste,” which can be found at the website www.ext.vt.edu.

The food scrap collection bin should be emptied into your outside compost bin daily so it doesn’t stink. The best alternative is to dedicate a corner of the freezer for a scrap collection container (airtight) and arrange to contribute the frozen composition when it is full, to your compost bin.

Speeding up the composting process can be done in a number of ways.  You can chop up your kitchen and house plant scraps as you collect them, manually or in a chopper or blender. If they are cut up finely, then they will break down more quickly into wonderful compost. Also, as you put the scraps into your outdoor compost bin, you can cover them with chopped leaves or other “brown” material, and see that the whole mix is dampened, which will also speed things up. As the mix in your compost bin ages, you can turn it over periodically to re-mix the product, allowing fresh access to air and moisture. This is also an opportunity to restore the balance of the compost material to the desired mix, making sure that the “greens” and “browns” are close to a 50/50 mixture and are uniformly damp (like a wrung-out sponge).  Greens, as you probably know, are those items that contain more nitrogen, like grass clippings, coffee grounds, fresh kitchen scraps, and such.  Browns are carbon-loaded items, like leaves, tiny twigs, straw, torn-up cardboard, shredded paper, and such.  And the more often you turn your mix, the faster it will compost!  And you’re a hero!

They say it can take three months or so to get compost you can use if you are incredibly diligent about it, but I don’t know anybody like that! Usually, we leave it out there for a while then remember to go and turn it refresh the mix, and rebalance the air and moisture.  Composting requires patience, as it takes about a year for well-finished compost.  First, the mix will heat up, due to the hot microbes, then it will cool down and other kinds of microbes get to chewing and chomping. Then it has to finish up when the earthworms and other little critters move it and help out.  We have to give it an occasional nudge by turning it, rebalancing Greens and Browns as needed, adding moisture if it’s not still damp, and making sure air gets in there to help too.  Thanks for helping keep greenhouse gases out of our atmosphere!

The best time to start composting is now!  It’s always a good time to start. Right now, there are some free piles of leaves still around to go and collect (be careful to ask permission!).  I keep a year’s supply of leaves nearby so I can start a new bin anytime. We’re indoors more nowadays, so it’s a great time to start collecting kitchen scraps in a freezer container (no stink).  Pick a convenient place in the yard, clear it, protect it all around with fine-holed chicken wire or hardware cloth, and start loading it!  Keep an eye out for critters like a neighbor’s dog or a feral cat (or other critters!)  Join a compost messaging group and start bragging! Composters are awesome!

It is not usually necessary to add calcium to the compost as various compostable materials have some calcium in them, such as egg shells.  All compost needs is a balance of organic material, roughly 50% “greens,” (higher in nitrogen) and 50% “browns” (higher in carbon).

IF your concern is about the amount of calcium in your garden, then I recommend getting a soil test; go to your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office and get a free soil test kit. If your garden is large and varied, then get multiple kits.  The Stafford Extension office, for example, is at the Rowser Building, 1739 Jeff Davis Highway 22554. The test itself costs a mere $10 payable to Va Tech and may be more reliable than most soil tests available in garden centers.

Newspaper can definitely be composted, as it is high in carbon, and the inks currently used are reasonably safe.  However, it’s good to stay away from glossy inserts and such, as they may contain plastic materials.  For newspaper, it’s better to shred it and dampen it a bit so that it has moisture and air readily available.

Compost breaks down naturally when it has a balance of “greens” and “browns,” that is, roughly half nitrogen-based and half carbon-based.  Materials with more nitrogen include “green” clippings of grass or leaves, stems and flowers, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and such, while carbon-based materials are “brown” leaves, twigs, paper, shredded newspaper and cardboard, among others.  If this 50/50 balance exists in your pile, then please make sure that it is kept damp (like a wrung-out sponge) and well aerated.  Oftentimes compost can get matted down and air cannot get to the microbes that need it to do their work.  Or it is kept too dry and the microbes get thirsty.

These things are usually not needed if the compost materials are well balanced with greens and browns, air and moisture (see above comments).  The composting microbes that do the work are already naturally present in the soil and on materials that go into compost, like leaves, grass, clippings, etc.

Yes, compost often has all the components of fertilizers already in it, from the materials it came from.  I would recommend a soil test if you haven’t done one in the last few years, before adding fertilizer to your soil.  See the question above about getting an inexpensive soil test from the Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory, using a soil test kit from the County Extension Office.

And for general questions, I recommend doing a computer search for the Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-703P, “Making Compost from Yard Waste,” which can be found at the website www.ext.vt.edu.