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QUESTION: Can you put avocado skins in compost?

ANSWER: Like almost all vegetable scraps and other kinds of kitchen trimmings other than meat, fish, dairy products, and grease, avocado skins are safe for composting. They’ll  function as a nitrogen-heavy “green” ingredient.

The rinds of avocados are a little tougher than most of what goes into the compost bin, though, so you may see them in the pile a few months down the line looking just about like they did when they went in. You can help speed things along by tucking them into the center of the compost heap and cutting or tearing them into smaller bits before adding them to your compost. 

Don’t go overboard with avocado rinds in your compost if your family consumes tons and tons of avocados, though. Too many avocado skins can slow down your compost’s overall decomposition rate, so don’t allow them to exceed 10 percent of the total material in your compost bin.

QUESTION: Can you have too many worms in your compost?

ANSWER: Worms will come and go in and out of your compost heap as they please, and you shouldn’t worry about their presence. (They’re difficult to wrangle, anyway, so it’s a good thing you don’t need to manage them.) It’s unlikely that you could end up with too many worms in your compost heap, as they’re helping you out—worms in the compost actually speed up the rate of your ingredients’ decomposition. 

There’s no need to be concerned that the worms will eat up all your compost, either, because what they consume they will expel. Better yet, compost material that has passed through a worm’s digestive system is better off for it. After leaving a worm’s body, the compost will be richer in nitrogen, organic matter, and bacteria than it was originally. Additionally, as worms move through your compost, they leave tunnels that help loosen the material and aerate it, which allows oxygen and water to freely circulate and also helps out the microbes that do most of the work of decomposition. 

So no, you can’t have too many worms. On the contrary, many gardeners work to attract as many as they can to visit their compost. More good news: worms are attracted to healthy compost, so it’s a good sign to have plenty of them in your pile.

QUESTION: Can shiny cardboard be composted?

ANSWER: Any cardboard or paper product can be composted, however, some shiny paper products may take longer to break down and can slow the decomposition process. Shiny paper products used to be made with natural materials, like kaolin, which would break down at the same rate as the other paper products in the compost pile.

Today, however, shiny paper products are often made with plastic-like polymers, which can take much longer to break down than other paper products. In general, it is okay to compost any paper product, but it might be smart to avoid composting shiny cardboard or paper to keep your compost decomposing at a quick pace. 

QUESTION: Can salt be composted?

ANSWER: Salt is bad for soil and should generally be left out of compost. However, composting certain foods that have salt in them is fine in moderation, just avoid dumping lots of actual salt into your compost pile.

Tons of foods contain salts and most food products have at least trace amounts of salt in them. Still, the total amount of salt in most products is too low to worry about whether or not to keep them out of the compost heap. As long as you are not composting salt directly, composting salty foods should not cause any problems.

QUESTION: Can lemons go in compost?

ANSWER: Yes, lemons and lemon peels are great additions to the compost pile. If you are vermicomposting, lemons and other citrus fruit should be left out of the mix, as some worms will not eat citrus fruits, which will slow the decomposition process, but in traditional compost systems, lemons and other citrus fruits can be tossed into the mix without hesitation. 

Though citrus fruits are very acidic and can alter the pH of your compost, adding citrus fruit to your compost pile also has several important benefits. The strong smell of lemons and other citrus fruits will deter pests and animals. The chemical oils in citrus fruits break down very quickly, so there is no threat to beneficial insects. As they decompose, citrus fruit adds phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium to your compost, helping boost the nutritional content of your pile. Lemons and lemon peels should be considered green compost material. 

Cut lemons and especially lemon peels into small pieces before adding to compost to help speed up the decomposition process. If your compost’s acidity levels increase, add alkaline ingredients such as grass clippings to help balance out the mixture. To keep mold from growing on the citrus peels while they are decomposing, keep your compost pile hot by actively turning it every few weeks.