The Authority sponsors Backyard Composting workshops presented by Horn Farm Center. If you are interested in attending one of these events, please click here for additional information.
Why Compost?
- Soil Builder
- Waste Reducer
- Environmentally Helpful and Safe
- Low cost
- Energy Efficient
- Educational
Uses:
- Garden/Flower Bed Amendment
- Top-Dressing for Perennials and Shrubs
- Mix with Potting Soil for Seedlings or Houseplants
- Sprinkle/Spread in Lawn
- Compost Tea
General Materials to Add:
- Leaves, twigs, yard trimmings
- Grass Clippings (small amounts)
- Saw Dust (Untreated)
- Wood Ash (small amounts)
- Kitchen Scraps
- All NON GLOSSY paper products, Cardboard (ripped/shredded)
- Coffee grounds and Tea leaves (plus filters and bags)
Comprehensive List of Items to Add to Compost
Common Greens:
- Grass clippings
- Salad greens
- Apple cores
- Strawberry tops
- Peeled fruit (except citrus) and vegetable skins (pumpkin, carrot, apple, potato, etc.)
- Banana + peels
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Tea bags, with staples removed
- Garlic*
- Onion*
- Cabbage*
* Has a natural odor
Greens with high moisture content:
- Watermelon + rinds
- Cantaloupe + rinds
- Honeydew + rinds
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Plums
Greens That Require Special Handling
- Manure
- Citrus rinds (to be avoided in vermicomposting)
- Meat
- Bones
- Dairy
- Cooked food
- Oily food
- Weeds
Greens That Are Slow to Decompose:
- Big pits (peach, plum, avocado, etc.)
- Avocado skin
- Carrots (whole or chunked)
- Corncobs
- Egg Shells
Browns:
- Dry autumn leaves
- Non-waxy paper, including newspaper
- Non-waxy cardboard boxes
- Cardboard egg cartons and beverage trays
- Paper towel, toilet paper, and wrapping paper rolls
- Cotton Balls, Q-Tips
- Dryer Lint
- Sawdust from untreated wood
- Coffee chaff
- Non-oily bread, pasta, and grain (cooked or uncooked)
- Dried flowers/stalks
- Shredded office paper
- Stale chips, crackers, cereal, pretzels, etc
- Used matches, Toothpicks
- Feathers
Browns That Are Slow to Decompose:
- Sticks, twigs, and logs
- Pine needles and cones
- Christmas Tree (speed this up by chopping into smaller pieces)
- Wooden chopsticks and stirrers
- Hair
- Nail Clippings
- Straw
- Woodchips
- Nuts/Shells (avoid Walnuts)
Browns to Handle with Care
- Ash
- Charcoal/BioChar
Avoid Completely!
- Diseased plants and flowers
- Poisonous plants such as poison ivy
- Materials exposed to toxic chemicals
- Cat manure and litter