Compost
Elaine174
Posts: 28
Hi. I'm starting to make garden compost and was wondering if I could put damp kitchen paper in the compost. I know I can use shredded newspaper and cardboard but wasn't sure if kitchen paper was suitable.
Any other suggestions for what I can put in the compost bin would be most welcome. Thanks.
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Posts
All paper is good as long as it isn't gloss magazine or plastified. I put thin cardboard, egg boxes, paper bags, kitchen roll, tissues, cheapo advertising leaflets and papers but I do tear up the bigger pieces to help with rotting down. It adds valuable carbon to the pile and is good for layering between grass cuttings to provide air and help them break down well.
Elaine You do not say what you are composting in, it can vary from an old dust bin to a row of home made bins such as mine, the reason for that is I can turn one bin into the next as it composts thus aerating and mixing as it goes.
Air Heat and some dampness is essential not soggy wet but a sprinkle of water as I add material is good. Paper gets put through the shredder, cardboard torn up and never put more than an inch or so of any one material on the heap at any one time. Grass cuttings can be thinly spread on the mix with some woody cuttings mixed in to speed up the process and stop the cuttings forming a mat.
Every few weeks tip out the material mix it well on a plastic sheet or in a wheel barrow then toss it back sprinkling each layer with water as you go, damp not soggy.
If using an old bin drill a few air holes in the side and bottom, it has to breathe, a wormary is a different thing I have no experience of them but always had plenty of my own compost by the above method.
Hope this helps good luck Frank.
apart from the usual garden waste I put in the fluff from the tumble dryer, Hoover contents, tissues and kitchen roll, shredded paper and card.
in the summer when I am adding more grass clippings I also shred the odd old newspaper.
Thanks I didn't realise that all those things could be included.
gentlemen can add another ingredient to compost .
Best add the Gentlemen's water in a garage with the door shut. Filling a plastic milk bottle after the milk is removed of course otherwise the tea tastes odd. A cup full to a watering can of water being the best, it is of course Uric acid so adding a drop of Fertiliser will also do the same job. I would advise you to not use your favourite gardeners tea mug for the addition to the watering can and definitely do not store in a pop bottle, hot days in the garden seems to have an affect on the memory says he who once nearly drank petrol?
Frank.
No need to shred newspapers and card, screw it into balls it lets Air in for a while, which is what gets your compost working.
I am having weird visions of getting it into a pop bottle, I know your quite age-ed Frank but isn’t that a bit small? the pop bottle I mean.?
Lyn what Garage does not have a good funnel.
Frank.
PS aged I may be although some of the Ladies around here think me a good catch, one has put a label on me although her Husband is still alive and kicking.
Frank.