Can You Compost Bread?

We’ve all been there. You pull out the fixings for your favorite sandwich, set a nice plate on the counter, and pour yourself a tall cold drink. Reaching into the bread bag you gently pull out two slices. But what’s this? Ugh….. your heart sinks with a pang of disappointment.

Mold lines the edge of your bread.

Well, you can’t save the sandwich now. Unless you’re the type to shrug, pull off the moldy crust, and keep eating (I’m making my silently-judgmental, grossed out face right now). But you can put that moldy bread to good use in your compost bin.

Bread, while not a vegetable, is made from a plant and will break down in your compost bin rather quickly. Pretty much any food scrap made of flour or grains can go in your bin. This includes:

Bread
Buns
Crackers
Donuts (without cream filling)
Cookies

I don’t think a single cookie has ever made it to my compost bin, even the burnt and stale end up being consumed. But technically, they could be composted.

And what’s the most important thing to remember about composting bread and the like? Bury your food scraps. I’ll say that again.

BURY YOUR FOOD SCRAPS!!!

Otherwise, you will end up attracting animals or creating a “garbagy” smelling bin.

Once in contact with a moist compost pile, bread doesn’t typically last long. Think of a hotdog eating contest without the dog. You know how the contestants dip the buns in water to easily cram down 20 hotdogs in 5 minutes? Now I’m making my grossed out face again.

That bun soaks up the moisture and starts breaking down immediately. The same thing happens in your compost pile. And then the micro and macro organisms alike devour the bun in what I can only imagine is a very competitive sport with millions of contestants and only you cheering them on.

Do you compost bread? If so, am I missing any “bread” categories that you can compost?



I think this croissant is upset about being tossed in the trash.
Or maybe he's just trying to lift his "arms"?



Turn Baby Turn, Compost Inferno

If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend you hustle on over and turn your compost, especially if you’ve added food scraps all winter. Just as good as pulling out the lawnmower or turning on the hose, the inaugural first turn of the compost bin marks an important rite of passage into spring.

Turning will aerate the compacted pile and kick start the microorganisms into full dance fever mode. You’ll notice a significant drop in the pile over the next week from the compostables heating up and decomposing (more disco inferno than inferno inferno). You can almost hear the microorganisms singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (in high pitched voices, of course) as they come back to life.

Troubleshooting and Tools (Disco Ball Optional)
My tool of choice is the wingdigger, but you can use a pitchfork, shovel, or even a sturdy stick. The idea is to get air down into the bin.

You may notice a slight ammonia smell and some squishiness if you’re compost is a little funky (and not in a good way). That’s okay. Just fluff up the pile well with air and even add shredded leaves or paper to give it some umph.

If your pile is more dry wallflower than dancing queen, add some food scraps and water to those parched leaves. Leaving the lid off before a good rain (of water, not men) will let mother nature water the pile for you.

Stayin’ Alive
Once you’ve heated up your pile, consider turning it on a regular basis for the rest of the season. More than once a week is really unnecessary and every other week or once a month will work.

Can you dig it? I knew that ya could.

How to Take Charge of Your Unruly Kitchen Collector

Here is a picture of my real kitchen collector bucket. I’ll be honest, it rarely looks this picture perfect. Most days you would see an embarrassing mess of overflowing asparagus ends, pineapple tops, and banana peels hanging out the top. Perhaps all accompanied by an additional bowl with even more food scraps awaiting the walk to the bin.

So, who am I to suggest ways to tame the food scrap hoarding/ lazy-composters-r-us behavior?

I’ve made a resolution and you can too. We can keep our kitchen collectors tidy together. Composters unite!

Here are five tips for reducing or even eliminating mess and smells from your kitchen collector.

1. Empty Daily. Don’t think of it as a chore. This is a daily ritual, a meditative stroll through the backyard, bringing your food scraps to commune with nature and giving back to the Earth. (Or just 5 minutes to get away from the whining kids and pile of dishes, while pretending like you are actually working).

2. Use Liners. I’ve tried the “compostable” plastic liners and the origami newspaper trick. The jury is still out on the “compostable” plastic but both of these options will keep your kitchen collector clean.

3. Add Ventilation (a.k.a. holes). If you’re not taking out food scraps daily, allowing some holes in the side or top of your collector actually keeps scraps from getting too yucky. If fruit flies are an issue in your kitchen, however, you may want to skip this option.

4. Sprinkle Bokashi Bran. This Japanese import will semi-ferment food scraps if you sprinkle a little on top and allow you to go longer between emptying the material. (Check out Park + Vine or www.bokashicomposting.com/  if you want to give it a try).

5. Rinse Once Empty. Yes, I know you know that cleaning stuff makes it smell good. But this is a step I sometimes skip. A quick rinse will get any yuckiness out of the bottom and hopefully keep the bucket smelling fresher.

I’ve also heard that sprinkling baking soda on top of the food scraps or rubbing vinegar on the lid will help with smells. But if you’re going to take the time to do that why not just take out the food scraps?

My goal is to take out the bucket at least every other day which should be easier with spring here (spring is here, right? Right?). What do you do (or will start doing) to keep your kitchen collector in order?

Could Black Walnut Leaves Ruin Your Finished Compost?

EeeeK! Tomato plants RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! It’s the horrible, abominable, monstrous Black Walnut leaf!!!

In all seriousness, Black Walnut trees create a chemical called juglone that really is toxic to many plants we grow, like tomatoes, blueberries, and azaleas. So will the leaves from Black Walnut trees create a toxic compost causing our favorite plants to bite the dust?

No. The OSU Extension says the toxin in these leaves breaks down within 2 to 4 weeks of composting. Let the leaves thoroughly break down in your compost bin and you’ll be fine.

Really, relax.

Woodchips and nut shells from Black Walnut do require a longer period to decompose, so give them at least six months to break down before applying the compost to sensitive plants.

Still nervous your applying a kiss of death with your compost?

You can test the finished compost by planting a few tomato plant seedlings and see if they survive. If sacrificial experiments are not your thing, you can always use the finished compost on the many plants not sensitive to our Black Walnut friends. OSU provides a handy list of these plants as well.

Have you ever composted Black Walnut leaves? Let us know how it worked out in the comments.

Yes, this is poison ivy, but I couldn't resist scary leaf clip art.

Get the Dirt on Backyard Composting!

Back by popular demand! We will be traveling around Hamilton County talking about composting and giving away free composting swag.

In just one hour you’ll learn how to:

• Create the most effective backyard compost bin
• Produce a valuable soil amendment for your garden
• Significantly reduce waste from your kitchen and yard

Beginner and seasoned composters will benefit. Bring your toughest (and easiest) composting questions, there will be time for those too!

At the end of the hour you will receive a free kitchen collector, a “Simple Guide to Composting in Your Backyard", an “I heart Compost” bumper magnet, and a $20 coupon redeemable at partnering stores toward the purchase of a compost bin (Hamilton County, Ohio residents only).

Get the Dirt on Backyard Composting will be coming to a community near you:

3/6/13 Springdale Community Center

3/18/13 St. Bernard Municipal Building

3/27/13 Mt. Healthy City Park

4/2/13 Wyoming Civic Center

4/15/13 Westwood Town Hall

4/23/13 Madeira City Council Chambers

5/9/13 Harrison Community Center

5/14/13 Amberley Village Community Room

For exact locations and registration information visit: Get the Dirt on Backyard Composting.

Please forward this to your composting-curious friends and family. Thanks for sharing the composting love!

How this Wacky Weather Helps Your Compost Bin

Sometimes I wonder if Mother Nature just likes to mess with our heads in Cincinnati. 20° one week and 65° the next.

REALLY LADY?

But she’s actually doing your compost bin a favor.

Every time it freezes the water inside your food scraps and wet plant material expands, helping to break apart the material’s structure. Water expands by about 9% from the liquid to the solid state and since food scraps have a high water content (40-70%) that means a lot of expansion.

After dozens of freeze-thaw cycles, that banana peel is basically “pre-chewed” and on the fast track for spring bacteria and fungi to finish the job.

The result? If you continue to add food scraps all winter, once the weather warms you won’t have to wait very long for a batch of beautiful finished compost. Meanwhile, your snow-phobic neighbor misses out on the winter composting bounty.

So, as you bring out your winter coat again, you can smile a secret smile because you know what that freeze will do to your compost pile.

Thanks, Mother Nature (with an almost completely sincere, non-sarcastic smile).

Top 5 Gifts for Composters

Tra la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season, right? In order to bring more jolly to your favorite composter, I’ve compiled a list of presents any composter will appreciate (and some are even handmade).

Feel free to forward this to a struggling spouse, there’s nothing wrong with dropping a little hint.

1. Turner/ Aerator Tool: These fantastically designed ergonomic tools make adding air to your compost pile a breeze. They are basically fancy metal sticks, but to a composter they are time-saving gems that will bring a smile for usually less than $25. Park + Vine.

2. Screener: You can make a screener if you're handy with a hammer and saw. Finished compost run through a screener is like pure happiness in a wheelbarrow to a composter.

3. Compost t-shirt: Compost Happens…Worm Hugger… A Rind is A Terrible Thing to Waste...what better way to show your love than a shirt with a funny or ironic saying? $20-$30 at Cafe Press.

4. Fancy kitchen collector: I received a stainless steel kitchen collector a few years ago and have to say it looks awful purty sitting on my counter. They come in bamboo, stainless steel, copper and a range of prices. Worm's Way or Park + Vine.

5. Origami liner: this present is purely DIY, but the reduction in kitchen collector cleaning will be appreciated just as much as an expensive gift. Grab yourself some old newspaper, a pair of scissors, and head over to this post which explains how to easily make compost liners out of old newspaper.

Bonus gift: if you want to spruce up your present with a I Love Compost magnet, just send me an email. You can pick one up for the bargain price of free from our office in Corryville.

Happy Holidays, composting friends!