What is compostable?

[JoAlice]

I now have a new compost bin, a friend gave me one of those nice composters on a stand that you turn with a crank like handle. I was using just an area in the corner of my yard and I did do well composting kitchen scraps and grass, leaves, etc. Since I am getting more interested in composting, I want to know all the things that can be composted. For instance, can you compost Kleenex boxes, cake mix boxes (since these usually have a lot of colored ink), card board boxes or what are the rules on paper products. Thanks to you nice folks who always respond to my inquiries.

[CaptainCompostAL]

Go to your local public library or book store, and borrow or buy a good book on modern composting. All the Rodale books or Acres USA magazine books are great starting points.

Also reading the posts on the "Compost" forum here is also great to get new aggressive ideas.

Technically, any plant or animal matter can be composted into a safe product for garden use. However some high protein or high ammonia stuff like raw animal manures or fish scraps or other meat products, need extra heavy browns (carbon sources) in order to keep down stinky smells, and to help develop humus better in your compost. Humus is mostly carbon and beneficial aerobic soil microbes.

Malcolm Beck (author of "The Secret Life of Compost") said once that compost should imitate a natural forest floor: At least 2-3 times more browns than greens, and far more plant matter than any animal matter. If you're a vegetarian composter, you don't have to use any animal matter. Grass clippings and high protein grain feeds are rich in nitrogen just like many animal manures.

Yes, any form of white papers, newspapers, or 100% shredded cotton rags, make great carbon souces when ever you can't get leaves, untreated sawdust, or pine needles.

Hot composting can be speeded up by keeping the pile constantly moisturized and loaded with lots of nitrogen and microbes. Instead of turning my piles so much any more, I now just keep pouring lots of compost tea or manure tea or urinated water all over the piles. This adds extra water, nitrogen, and microbes for faster decomposition.

Hope this helps!
Happy Gardening and Composting my friend!