My original search that led me to this question was whether or not leftover bread, pasta, rice and other grains are suitable additions to a compost pile. From what I’ve been reading, I'm thinking yes. But I'm not sure. Also, are they greens or browns? Any good or bad experiences out there?
Then there’s the thought of sugars. Carbs are sugars, right? Or quickly become such? Perhaps I'm jumping the gun here, but from my experiences with yeast, yogurt, kefir and kombucha brewing, sugars from grain, milk, fruit or more refined sources play a big part in their success.
I'm no biologist (it took me two years to pass 10th grade Bio with a C-) and I don't even thoroughly understand the distinctions between the bio-activities of the different brews.
That being said, friend or foe to compost?
Moderation in all things is a good rule for compost. I'd add a cup of spoilt yogurt to a compost pile without a blink. I'd add 55 gallons a whole lot more incrimentally. And the barrel would need a couple three barrels of autumnal leaves as companion.
I'm not sure which category your ferments would fill. I'm thinking a green.
I'm not sure which category your ferments would fill. I'm thinking a green.
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Thank you for the response tomc -
I agree with moderation in all things (except moderation, some say). It's not that I have any brewed things waiting to add, just whether or not it would be a good thing to do or not. I also agree it is probably going to be a green and I would add plenty of brown leaves.
Maybe I should just divide up a pile of compost into two and add yogurt to one, not the other and see what happens. If I keep all other things equal (additions, treatment, etc.), I might find out.
Thanks again for your input - meshmouse
I agree with moderation in all things (except moderation, some say). It's not that I have any brewed things waiting to add, just whether or not it would be a good thing to do or not. I also agree it is probably going to be a green and I would add plenty of brown leaves.
Maybe I should just divide up a pile of compost into two and add yogurt to one, not the other and see what happens. If I keep all other things equal (additions, treatment, etc.), I might find out.
Thanks again for your input - meshmouse
I think they can be added to the compost pile. I know I can feed them to worms. The only things you really want to keep out of composts are meat and bones and not because they cannot be composted, but because they attract vermin.
Speaking of vermin. Comopost and worms do attract vermin. It is the down side of having them. The best defense I have in those piles are that they be located as far away from the house as possible. Roaches, centipedes, ants, spiders, pinchers, and beetles are all over them. I have to evict roaches and geckos from the bin all of the time.
At the school garden they compost all of the cafeteria waste including the disposable trays.
Speaking of vermin. Comopost and worms do attract vermin. It is the down side of having them. The best defense I have in those piles are that they be located as far away from the house as possible. Roaches, centipedes, ants, spiders, pinchers, and beetles are all over them. I have to evict roaches and geckos from the bin all of the time.
At the school garden they compost all of the cafeteria waste including the disposable trays.
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"At the school garden they compost all of the cafeteria waste including the disposable trays."
Wow!! That's so cool. I never heard of a school doing that. But then again most of the schools I know of don't have gardens. I wish more did. I think kids can learn so much from them.
The trouble you have with the compost pile is partly due to being in Hawaii. My compost pile always has a few cockroaches in it, which I don't see unless I am digging in to it, but not swarms of them. It has pill bugs/roly poly's, often black soldier fly larvae and that's about it, as far as things big enough to notice (plus of course lots of earthworms). None of the other stuff you named.
It would attract 4 leggers from rodents through groundHogs, opossums, raccoons, etc, if it weren't completely enclosed.
Wow!! That's so cool. I never heard of a school doing that. But then again most of the schools I know of don't have gardens. I wish more did. I think kids can learn so much from them.
The trouble you have with the compost pile is partly due to being in Hawaii. My compost pile always has a few cockroaches in it, which I don't see unless I am digging in to it, but not swarms of them. It has pill bugs/roly poly's, often black soldier fly larvae and that's about it, as far as things big enough to notice (plus of course lots of earthworms). None of the other stuff you named.
It would attract 4 leggers from rodents through groundHogs, opossums, raccoons, etc, if it weren't completely enclosed.
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It all leads back to compost. I would put any of those things in, in moderation. I'm sure there are yeasts and the same bacteria you find in dairy products, already in the compost. The populations will settle themselves out. The only problem to watch for is too much moisture or high protein (= N = very 'green') material. Balance the pile and it'll be fine.
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Thank you all for the responses.
Imafan26 and rainbowgardener –
Good to know. If you can feed brewables to worms with success, I’ll bet it will work in my compost because it all ends up (or down) with worms.
Re: vermin, compost and worms – I'm a fan of ‘open pile’ composting, mostly because my pile started out as just a place in the corner of the backyard (as far away from the house as possible) where we would rake the leaves down to and it has now developed into a more diverse input and active pile.
Before I started adding kitchen waste, etc, I spoke to my neighbors about it and the concern I heard from their experiences was that it would attract vermin and pests. The thought crossed my mind that if I pureed it all up in a food processor before adding it to the pile, there would be little if anything they could bite into and feed on. Eventually, I thought, they would leave it alone. So far, that theory has held true (I'm talking 4 leggers here).
Re: Bugs and such – aside from the worms, all the other various centipedes, pill bugs, insects (and who knows what) seem to be pretty balanced in population. I’ve never had roaches (in the pile or the house) but I will keep an eye out for them.
I kind of wish I had a gecko or two. Are they a problem?
I’ve only seen birds (robins, mostly) come to pick up a few worms after I’ve turned the pile over (but hey, they’ve got to make a living too, you know). Are there other things that eat the worms also?
toxcrusadr –
yes, moderation. Now that I think about it, sourdough is developed from wild yeasts, so they must be around and alive in my pile. Do you think it would be advantageous to add more or are there already enough in the environment to meet the best balance? BTW – I'm still introducing ‘greens’ more (in moderation, of course) to my pile and so far (judging by heat and smell) it seems I could still use more.
And yes, a school composting/gardening program is a great idea. Another addition to the bucket list.
Thanks to you all.
Imafan26 and rainbowgardener –
Good to know. If you can feed brewables to worms with success, I’ll bet it will work in my compost because it all ends up (or down) with worms.
Re: vermin, compost and worms – I'm a fan of ‘open pile’ composting, mostly because my pile started out as just a place in the corner of the backyard (as far away from the house as possible) where we would rake the leaves down to and it has now developed into a more diverse input and active pile.
Before I started adding kitchen waste, etc, I spoke to my neighbors about it and the concern I heard from their experiences was that it would attract vermin and pests. The thought crossed my mind that if I pureed it all up in a food processor before adding it to the pile, there would be little if anything they could bite into and feed on. Eventually, I thought, they would leave it alone. So far, that theory has held true (I'm talking 4 leggers here).
Re: Bugs and such – aside from the worms, all the other various centipedes, pill bugs, insects (and who knows what) seem to be pretty balanced in population. I’ve never had roaches (in the pile or the house) but I will keep an eye out for them.
I kind of wish I had a gecko or two. Are they a problem?
I’ve only seen birds (robins, mostly) come to pick up a few worms after I’ve turned the pile over (but hey, they’ve got to make a living too, you know). Are there other things that eat the worms also?
toxcrusadr –
yes, moderation. Now that I think about it, sourdough is developed from wild yeasts, so they must be around and alive in my pile. Do you think it would be advantageous to add more or are there already enough in the environment to meet the best balance? BTW – I'm still introducing ‘greens’ more (in moderation, of course) to my pile and so far (judging by heat and smell) it seems I could still use more.
And yes, a school composting/gardening program is a great idea. Another addition to the bucket list.
Thanks to you all.
Geckos get into the worm bin and eat the roaches, but they will also eat the worms. In my garden the geckos hang out when I turn the soil and pounce on the earthworms that I dig up.
School gardens are becoming more popular. There are a few schools doing that now. There have always been ag programs in some schools, but elementary schools are jumping on the bandwagon now.
The kids not only learn where their food comes from. They get a greater appreciation for veggies and are more likely to eat what they have grown. They also get biology lessons learning about ecosystems, plant parts, fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio in nature. They learn to do the math to calculate the number of seed and fertilizer per pound and calculating the soil volumes of the raised bed, no. of seedlings that can be planted in a given area, and also the cost to produce the ear of corn that ends up on the table. It is also great exercise and better than them playing games on the ipad all day. They even have the parents get involved with the kids to till, plant and harvest the garden. Schools have their own worm bins and compost piles. One school, working with a compost expert has managed to get the school nearly 100% waste free. They even compost the papers from the classes, as well as all of the cafeteria waste and provide some fresh vegetables to the cafeteria.
This is a link to one of the school gardening organizations. The schools are always looking for volunteers willing to help maintain the school gardens or give gardening classes.
https://www.kidsgardening.org/node/120
School gardens are becoming more popular. There are a few schools doing that now. There have always been ag programs in some schools, but elementary schools are jumping on the bandwagon now.
The kids not only learn where their food comes from. They get a greater appreciation for veggies and are more likely to eat what they have grown. They also get biology lessons learning about ecosystems, plant parts, fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio in nature. They learn to do the math to calculate the number of seed and fertilizer per pound and calculating the soil volumes of the raised bed, no. of seedlings that can be planted in a given area, and also the cost to produce the ear of corn that ends up on the table. It is also great exercise and better than them playing games on the ipad all day. They even have the parents get involved with the kids to till, plant and harvest the garden. Schools have their own worm bins and compost piles. One school, working with a compost expert has managed to get the school nearly 100% waste free. They even compost the papers from the classes, as well as all of the cafeteria waste and provide some fresh vegetables to the cafeteria.
This is a link to one of the school gardening organizations. The schools are always looking for volunteers willing to help maintain the school gardens or give gardening classes.
https://www.kidsgardening.org/node/120
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There are so many microbes in compost - literally billions per gram in an active pile - that I have never gone out of my way to add any particular sort of microbes. Adding them doesn't hurt as stated above, but a typical aerobic pile does not need any additives. Actually soil has millions and billions as well, and that's where a lot of them in the compost actually come from.