What Can I Compost? Is Composting Hard?

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Our summer garden did remarkably well, especially for being organic.  I knew, being pregnant, I didn’t want to mess with any kinds of chemicals or pesticides that weren’t natural.  Our okra is taking off in this extreme Texas heat, but everything else is definitely end-of-season quality.  It was a very satisfying experience though, for our whole family!

Now it’s time to start planning our fall garden.  I don’t have big plans, but I do know I want to plant carrots, lettuce, and snap peas.  I have big concerns that the soil has been depleted of the valuable minerals and nutrients that are needed to sustain a fall garden.  We received a Toter composter at no charge to review and in July, we began piling it up with compostable items, and the compost is beginning to be ready!  How exciting can turning old yucky stuff into nutrient rich compost for our garden?!

I have looked at a lot of composters and have been very satisfied with the Toter composter.  It came with an indoor collection bucket that has been oh so helpful so we don’t have to have an open container in the kitchen.  It is also a great reminder to think before we throw things in the trash.  Can this be composted?  I wasn’t sure, so I did a little research!  Here’s a list of things you can throw into your Toter composter:

1. fruits and veggies, of course
2. coffee grounds AND filters
3. toilet paper and paper towel rolls
4. tea bags (remove the staples if there are any!)
5. paper napkins or paper towels
6. paper
7. wood chips
8. cardboard, ripped into small pieces
9. hay
10. cut grass
11. lint
12. pasta
13. rice
14. bread
15. popcorn
16. paper bags, ripped into small pieces
17. cereal
18. corks
19. paper egg cartons
20. pine needles
21. leaves
22. matches
23. toothpicks
24. hair – human or pet hair
25. paper muffin cups
26. facial tissues
27. bamboo or wood skewers
28. cotton balls
29. old cotton clothes
30. wool
31. wood ashes
32. sawdust
33. pencil shavings
34. the stuff you clean out of your vacuum cleaner!
35. flowers
36. crepe paper
37. egg shells
38. vines
39. garden soil
40. latex balloons
41. corn cobs
42. gelatin
43. feathers
44. limestone
45. soy products
46. peat moss
47. tree bark
48. cotton swabs
49. citrus waste
50. potato chips
51. nut shells
52. straw

The list really goes on and on and on.  It has been recommended to not add these things to your compost pile:  meat, bones, fats, oils, dairy products, diseased plant material, feces from cats, dogs, birds, pigs, and humans.  Some suggest adding urine to your compost pile to speed up the process, but well, that’s up to you!  I’m not sure I’m on board with that one yet.  

Are you an avid composter?  Have any tips to share with me?