Composting by Bob Flowerdew

Author:Bob Flowerdew
Language: nld
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2012-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

The dry shredded paper with soggy rotten apples it cushioned makes a good composting layer

Packaging cardboard and newspaper rot well if soaked in nasty liquids and if they are not added in thick layers—corrugated cardboard is especially loved by the red brandlings that work in wormeries. Waxed or plastic-coated cardboard, heavily glossed paper, glittery, silvery, mock-gold Christmas wrapping, and magazines are probably best excluded as these contain undesirable materials.

Do not forget the toilet roll middles, dead flowers, shredded documents, worn-out cotton or woollen clothes and socks, wooly blankets, fur and feather items, feather pillows, and even your old silk scarf. All need good soaking in vile liquids then interleaving with more active material, such as grass clippings or nettles, but compost they will—even quicker if they are cut into smaller bits first.

Old carpets (preferably cotton or wool, not rubber- or latex-backed and not moth-proofed) will compost but may make good floor, wall, or even ceiling coverings in draughty garden sheds first, or they can be used as temporary paths or weed-excluding mulches. But once they do start to rot they can be well soaked and added in. Coir mats are remarkably slow to compost but will go eventually.

Then there are the human wastes. Finger- and toenail clippings and hair are slow-release sources of nitrogen, so include them. Your urine is also a rich source of fertility (see here), however, for now I draw the line there. Although composting toilets are quite practical their time has not yet come.

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