Composting Ingredients

Composting

Yes or No
Note: The presence of a C, N or O in the C:N column indicates whether the C:N values of the material tend to be carbonaceous (C), nitrogenous (N) or other (O).

Material	Use?	C:N	Comments
Algae and seaweed	Yes	N	Good nutrient source.
Ash from charcoal or coal	No		Contains sulfur dioxides, may harm plants in the garden.
Ashes from wood fireplace or stove	Yes, but very alkaline	O	Can cause nutrient imbalance problems. Use no more than a fine sprinkling very 18 inches or so.
Bird droppings	No		Droppings from pet birds may contain disease organisms and weed seeds.
Cardboard	Yes	C	Best if shredded into small pieces. Glue is usually organic.
Cat feces or litter	No		May contain disease organisms.
Cottonseed meal	Yes	N	Can be used as a source of nitrogen in the fall when green grass clippings are scarce. Use the amount in a large coffee can for each nitrogen layer.
Dog droppings	No		May contain disease organisms.
Diseased plants	No		Piles often do not get hot enough to destroy all diseases.
Dryer lint	Yes	N	May need to be moistened.
Food scraps	No		May attract rodents and other pests.
Hair	Yes	N	Add moisture and mix thoroughly in the pile.
Manure (horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, chicken, rabbit)	Yes	N	Excellent source of nitrogen. Fresh manure has a high water content; mix with drier materials.
Newspaper	Yes	C	Recommend shredding into small pieces. Most inks today are safe for garden use.
Pine cones and needles (redwood, eucalyptus)	Yes, but use sparingly	N	Recommend shredding and adding in small quantities. Other compost materials will neutralize their acid effect.
Sawdust and wood shavings	Yes, but may need to add extra nitrogen	C	Has a high carbon content. Avoid sawdust from pressure-treated wood.
Weeds	Yes, but not seeds or spreading roots	N	Annual weeds which have not gone to seed can be composted. Plants that spread through roots or runners should be spread on pavement to dry thoroughly before adding to compost.