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Rice hulls. For carbon.
Suitable for hot or cold compost heaps. Make sure that hulls are fully composted before adding to garden. Unevenly composted hulls behave like a barrier to water and it becomes impossible to water the garden.
Rice (boiled). For carbon.
OK in hot or cold heap or wormery, but may attract rodents.
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Saw dust. For carbon.
Suitable for hot or cold compost heap. Ensure wood is not treated with chemicals. Apply sparingly in very thin layers and use a lot of nitrogen. Avoid sawdust from conifers (soft woods).
Seaweed. For nitrogen.
Suitable for hot or cold compost heaps. It is better to collect seaweed fresh and wash in freshwater. As it dries it absorbs salt. Harvesting it after a storm is a good idea. The large kelps, like bull kelp, will take longer to break down than the smaller leafy varieties and you would need to shred the former. Packed with plant minerals.
Soil.
It's good to add some soil at first as a means of innoculating the compost with microbes. Some soil on the surface of the pile after you have added kitchen scraps and especially meat, might lessen the problem of insect infestation.
Squash. For nitrogen.
See apple peels and cores.
Straw. For carbon.
Suitable for hot or cold compost heaps. Breaks down easily, so if you can get hold of it, it's an excellent source of carbon for home composting. Try local stables.
Table scraps.
OK to put in a hot or cold heap or a wormery in the proportions that are generated at home. See food wastes.
Tea bags. For nitrogen.
Suitable for hot or cold compost heaps and wormery.
Tea leaves. For nitrogen.
See tea bags.
Toilet roll cardboard. For carbon.
See cardboard.
Tomatoes skins and seeds. For nitrogen.
See apple peels and cores.
Turnip tops. For nitrogen.
See apple peels and cores. |
Wormeries 
Copyright Westcountry Worms 2006