Compost scavenging

[Lottie]

Any good tips for stuff to scavenge for compost please? I'm becoming a bit of an obsessive... so far I have managed to get coffee grounds from Starbucks and rotten old straw from a farmer and loads of grass clippings from a playing field. But I could still do with more STUFF. The more I get, the hotter the heap and the better the compost. I have a tiny garden that really does not contribute much (but we put all our kitchen veg waste on the heap). Are there any community composters out there that could tell me how it works? Ta.

[Molly]

I've been told by several people that coffee is really bad for compost - not sure why (maybe too acidic or something?). It certainly doesn't do people a whole lot of good if taken in large quantities, so maybe the same is true of compost?

[Allan]

Shredded paper is good for keeping the other components aerated but avoid the glossies. Any
envelopes but remove the non-biodegradeable windows. Are there any greengrocers around, they
usually have stuff. You might get leaves, in moderation put them in the general heap, if too many a seperate bin, even a sack to rot them down. Any animal waste as long as it can be mixed in
thoroughly and does not attract rats. Ask your neighbours to contribute their food scraps. Look out
for anyone disposing of growbags e.g. gardeners without their own gardens.

[peat]

Hi molly
There is a compost forum in america and if you read the posts there you will think that all the americans use to make compost is coffee grounds and fallen leaves with a bit of cardboard mixed in. They seem to worry about getting the ratio of greens and browns just right.
Pete

[Chantal]

I always add the insides of toilet/kitchen rolls. Egg boxes are good too. It's nice plain soft card and breaks down well. Used kitchen roll can also be chucked in if it's free of meat/chemicals.

[Jenny Green]

Yes, I always add anything that's plain cardboard too. On the subject of coffee grounds, I started adding these to my compost but the worms soon after started making a run for it so I have since stopped. Not sure of the two are actually connected, mind.

[Chantal]

I read somewhere last year that coffee grounds are an excellent deterrent to slugs if spread round the base of the plants. Brilliant I thought as we have the grounds from the percolator on a daily basis. Then, about a week later I read that the grounds do some horrible damage to the plants. I can't remember what, but it was enough to scare me into not using the grounds. Composted may well be different but I have 5,000 worms on staff who don't seem very keen on them either.

[Guest]

You can also use the contents of the hoover and maybe some neighbours have pet rabbits etc their cage cleanings would be good I have chickens so have plenty of straw etc. regards G

[Lottie]

Thanks for the suggestions - I didn't know the hoover contents could go on, and all the other suggestions v. useful. But the most interesting thing is to hear that there is a composting forum! A whole forum! Wow.

[Molly]

Interesting, the different views on coffee grounds. I add tea bags to my compost - broken open to help them rot down faster (I figure they are mostly leaf material anyway, so easier to break down than hard bits of coffee bean). I also use broken-up egg boxes (not the plastic type, obviously!).

[sue-the-recycler]

Some other stuff to put in the compost - human and animal hair is good if you have a hairdresser or poodle parlour in your area. Old woollen jumpers - only wool mind - nylon and acrylic dont rot - and give them a few chops with scissors to get them started. If you are hot composting then whenever anyone in your household get a cold all the paper tissues can go in (not recomended for cold compost though as it may not kill pathogens)Also wood ash is great in compost (but NOT coal ashes). Coffee grounds are fine but as with anything in compost - its all about balance, not too much of any one thing. The HDRA website has some good info about composting.

[peat]

I read an article many years ago that advised against the use of the contents of hoover bags. They had found that with our modern lifestyle the contents contained a high proportion of nylon,plastic and other manmade items that would not rot down. Most modern carpets are nylon and the fluff from these cannot break down.
Pete

[Guest]

I have 3 dogs so the bulk of my hoover is dog hair and soil walked in from outdoors as previously said hair is a good addition to the compost heap, I have always done this and certainley not seen load of nylon etc. in the compost having said that my carpets are wool anyway ! lots of people use polystyrene to bulk out large plant pots and I was under the impression that nylon/plastic came from oil and after all isn't that composted plants !

[Lyn]

Just a further comment about coffee grounds - I used them this year to "mulch" my pots of lettuce on the patio, grown in multi-purpose compost from B&Q. They proved to be a really effective slug deterrant, and the lettuces were huge, and lovely and clean.
Cheers, Lyn

[Deb P]

I noticed one of the vegetable gardens at Gardeners World Live had used whole coffee beans as a mulch for outdoor tomatoes, and on top of container grown veg too. I think they were recommended for moisture retention and a slow release fertiliser too, so unless the processing of the beans somehow makes them toxic I shold think they are ok to use as compost constituents.