Curious as to whether your household produces enough compost material to make the investment in a composter worthwhile?

As a general rule, any organic matter can be composted. However, unless you’re a professional, certain contents should never enter your home composting system. Follow these basic guidelines to make the most of your composting system:

Composter Beware!
Be sure to avoid wastes that attract pests such as: dairy products, meat/fish scraps, bones, fat, oil, grease, and feces. Also, disease and insect ridden plant materials including weeds and seeds should be eliminated in other ways. In addition, wood ash does not belong in the composter — it can’t be broken down any further and may inhibit the decomposition process of other materials.

Compost Away!
Greens, which are high in nitrogen, make excellent compost material, so throw in house plants, grass clippings, prunings, fruits and veggies, manure, and kitchen scraps such as coffee grounds & filters, bread, egg shells, citrus rinds and vegetable peels. Browns, which are high in carbon, can also be composted with confidence. Add corn stalks, chopped brush, shredded newspaper, sawdust, woodchips, straw, bark and leaves with out worry.

Everyone knows that compost is a phenomenal addition to soil which results in better growing gardens. But did you know that you can further benefit your plants by steeping them a pot of Compost Tea?

With the right equipment, Compost Tea is easy to make. Soaking your compost in water extracts beneficial microbes. The resulting nutrient-rich brew can be applied to the soil or sprayed directly onto plant leaves.

Compost Tea acts as both a plant fertilizer and as a disease prevention agent (including root rot disease). Using Compost Tea as a replacement for toxic fungicides, pesticides, and chemical-based fertilizers is a simple and logical way to protect the environment and garden safely.