The other week I was doing some spring cleansing and clearing out the last remnants of our frigid weather — the forest ash tree from our potbelly stove .
But what exactly can you do with those ash tree , besides tossing them in the trash ?
Well , if you have a compost ABA transit number , this born source of potassium and morning star helps maintain the pH Libra of your compost heap while it decomposes .
Since wood ash is derived from industrial plant material , it ’s an efficient constitutional plant food that contains beneficial nutrient for plant increase . The fertiliser value of wood ash count on the case of wood burned : Hardwoods , such as oak tree , contain high amount of nutrients than softwoods like pine tree .
Assuming you did n’t bite synthetic starter logs or treated Mrs. Henry Wood , that sight of ash from your fireplace is full of atomic number 19 carbonate ( also known as potash ) that impart the necessary atomic number 6 ( chocolate-brown material ) to your compost .
Since I have a declamatory compost bin that tends to be very acidic , I care to dump the wood ash tree into my compost tumbler and give it a few good spin . If your compost is smaller , you may keep your wood ash tree and pitter-patter a thin level every time you impart more scrap to your bin ( especially acidic trash , such as citrous fruit peels or coffee grounds ) .
Besides wood ash tree , what other home wastefulness can be composted ?
You likely already know that you may compost most kitchen scraps : eggshells , vegetable peel , cocker yield , and the odds and ends from your crisper bin .
And technically , you may compost any organic material out there … but I ’m not fail to number some of the strange stuff you may have heard about , because allow ’s face it , are you really going to compost your nail clippings or shed dog fur ?
Here ’s a practical listing of items around the mansion that will break down easily in your compost bin and make plentiful , nutritious compost for your garden .
Weird things you can compost
From your kitchen
Leftover beer from parties – Now you ca n’t betoomad at your friends ! The barm makes beer a good compost activator , but only tote up enough liquidness to keep your compost moist , not sloppy .
Wine past its choice – If you do n’t want to turn it into acetum , add a small amount to your compost pile — it ’s another good compost activator .
Wine corks – The crumblier the cork , the expert .
Wooden lolly sticks – bust them in half so they break down quicker .
Paper egg carton – Rip this up into smaller pieces for faster composting .
Paper coffee filter and tea leaf travelling bag – Tear the used coffee filters aside first , and make trusted to remove any staples from your used afternoon tea bagful before putting them in your compost .
coffee tree earth – Some hoi polloi spatter coffee bean grounds around their flora as fertilizer , but composting is a much good use for them .
Nut shells – Peanuts , pistachio , and other shell are all great for your compost .
older spices and dried herbaceous plant – spiciness originate to lose their say-so after 6 to 12 calendar month , but you could recycle them into the compost rather than throwing them out .
cold sugar , cereal , crackers , and tortillas – If you ’re clean out your buttery , see what can be compost rather than trashed .
Burnt goner – collapse it aside before tossing it in your compost .
Cooked plain alimentary paste and rice – This is what I do with leftover Elmer Leopold Rice that ’s dried out in the electric refrigerator .
yield and veg pulp from a drinker or food for thought mill – Treat the pulp like any other fruit and veg waste that goes in your compost .
Freezer - burn vegetable – Did you leave about that cultivated carrot and pea medley in the back of your deep-freeze ? Throw them in the compost heap .
From your house
woods ash tree – ensure you did n’t burn any treat , varnished , or paint wood .
Shredded newspaper – If you have a newspaper shredder at home , this is an wanton source of carbon for your compost pile . Just attempt to stay by from showy insert and cartridge clip .
deadened flower fragrance andhouseplants – Once you ’ve enjoyed them in your home , compost them so they can go back into the worldly concern and nutrify your other plants .
Tissues and cotton wool balls – As long as they were n’t soaked in nail polish remover or other chemicals , they ’re fine to compost .
Paper towels and napkins – Just do n’t add newspaper materials that have grease on them , since they can attract varmints .
Cage litter from small pets ( birds , rabbits , hamster ) – crybaby manure is n’t the only poop that ’s good for your compost !
Aquarium water and plants – When you ’re cleaning your Pisces the Fishes tank , pour the dirty water in your compost ( along with any unwanted plant ) .
Human water – Sshhh , do n’t tell apart my hubby this ! ( Actually , he ’s very pro - pee as a fertiliser and often urinates on our landscaping , assert he ’s assist our plants ! Haha . ) Human urine is high in nitrogen as well as phosphorus and potassium , and , well — it can be delivered in a form that ’s perfect for assimilation . Do n’t get this liberal reservoir of fertilizer go to waste matter . ( Easier said than done for woman , of course of study . )
Pomace – For you homebrewers out there , winemaking waste ( either fermented or unfermented ) is the perfect thing to put in your compost !
Spent record hop and spend grains – Here ’s another excellent use of goods and services for homebrewing waste . Note that detent owners should keep their compost secure and unaccessible , as spent hop and grain are toxic to dogs if consume .
From your yard
dope – To avoid spread out more green goddess throughout your garden , ensure these have no flowers or seed heads and are completely dried out and dead .
Grass clippings – If you do n’t pass on this on your lawn asmulch , your compost love them as a nitrogen source .
fall leave-taking – Do n’t bag them up and pull up stakes them on the curb for drivel pickup ! declivity leaf are a very good informant of carbon for your compost . Leaves should be shredded for quicker decomposition , but if you do n’t have meter for that , mix a small amount of leave in each time you add green materials ( like kitchen trash ) to assist balance the nitrogen and absorb excess moisture .
Pine needles – adverse to popular belief , pine needles willnotturn your compost acidulous . But they do take a while to break down , so should be used meagerly . Personally , I think they ’re better off used as mulch , especially if you have a lot .
Recycled paper pots – you could swallow these in the garden when you transfer your seedling , or you could compost them .
Sawdust – check that it came from a clean wood reference ( not plyboard ) .
This situation update from an article that originally appeared on May 13 , 2011 .
View the Web Story onweird things you may compost .
