It's official; avocado skins do not compost...
Citrus WILL compost, but adds volatile oils that can drive off worms and damage fungal side if the content gets too high. We have mandarins right now and I will compost those as the skins are smaller and lighter, but I usually shy off of the citrus mostly. Once and a while is fine, but even 10% is too much for citrus...
HG
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I put the avocado skins in the compost simply because I put all veg/fruit remains in the compost. When avocado skin resurfaces while I'm turning the pile, I put it out in the sun to dry, then stomp on it to crumble it up. Even if it doesn't compost down, it can help to aerate/drain within the soil texture.
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Ok I guess I need to start getting more organic material to help it along! Hmmm another one... What about thatch? I think I read that thatch isn't supposed to go into the compost pile, right now we are burning it, but if that is just more material for the compost.. I should use it!
Thanks for answering my questions. I feel like such a noob by asking a question on every other post here! Lol
Thanks for answering my questions. I feel like such a noob by asking a question on every other post here! Lol
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Okay - will try it out and see!
(I had another one but I keep forgetting what it is!!).
In the mean time: what about raw bones?
(COW bones - I don't want to start anything illegal here... ).
Like the little bits that are too small for my dogs to eat any more - just out of curiosity, I'm sure they'd take forever but does anyone know if they would eventually degrade in a home composter? (2-3 years?)
(I had another one but I keep forgetting what it is!!).
In the mean time: what about raw bones?
(COW bones - I don't want to start anything illegal here... ).
Like the little bits that are too small for my dogs to eat any more - just out of curiosity, I'm sure they'd take forever but does anyone know if they would eventually degrade in a home composter? (2-3 years?)
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Bones are one of those places where I think anaerobic digestion speeds bone decomposition. Sepp Holzer has some anaerobic bone recipe for an evil smelling paste he wipes one time on tree trunks to keep pigs from rooting around trees... Bone meal is not a process I want to take on myself just yet...
HG
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I know there may be a seperate thread on Sun Chip bags, but searched long enough.
After 90 days, I can say that it is another hyped up go-green marketing tool with negligeable results. The bag is NOT decomposted while everything else is to include whole banana peels, watermelon rinds (4-8 inch), and apple cores.
The coloring has faded and there are some tears, but there is no way this thing is composting in a landfill. My pile was turned about every ten days and was cooking quite well.
Bummer.
After 90 days, I can say that it is another hyped up go-green marketing tool with negligeable results. The bag is NOT decomposted while everything else is to include whole banana peels, watermelon rinds (4-8 inch), and apple cores.
The coloring has faded and there are some tears, but there is no way this thing is composting in a landfill. My pile was turned about every ten days and was cooking quite well.
Bummer.
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I put a lot of stuff nto my compost piles that I know I will be seeing for years. I really don't mind as I am still benefiting and I like a pretty rough product anyway. My soil cries out for some "partially" finished compost.
Clam shells, mussel shells, Lobster bodies, fish skins and racks, deer bones, broken teracotta, plant labels, rusty old bent nails and unidentified pieces of iron. I just flip anything that needs a few more years over my shoulder and into a new pile.
The stuff I dig up in the gardens each year is funny. I keep finding old fish tank marbles from when I dumped a tank in the heap 15 years ago. I find toy soldiers, matchbox cars and such. I'm like an archeologist.
As long as it's not toxic throw it in. It might be with you for awhile but so what.
Clam shells, mussel shells, Lobster bodies, fish skins and racks, deer bones, broken teracotta, plant labels, rusty old bent nails and unidentified pieces of iron. I just flip anything that needs a few more years over my shoulder and into a new pile.
The stuff I dig up in the gardens each year is funny. I keep finding old fish tank marbles from when I dumped a tank in the heap 15 years ago. I find toy soldiers, matchbox cars and such. I'm like an archeologist.
As long as it's not toxic throw it in. It might be with you for awhile but so what.
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I don't understand the point of nails, iron, terracotta in the compost pile. I thought the point of a compost pile is that it is ORGANIC materials. ... OK so you accept that they won't break down (which was the point of this thread, will it compost, I.e. break down). But it doesn't seem to add anything...
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Ah, but *I*'ve been adding bits of broken terra-cotta in my compost pile. I used to have a spot where I put broken terra-cotta pots and saucers not far from the compost piles, then one day I looked at them and said, you know, the little pieces will serve no other function so I might as well put them in the compost to soak up the good stuff and add drainage. I still have larger pot halves and whatnot that I haven't decided if I should pulverize with a sledgehammer, but I'm tending towards that conclusion.