I have a question ...
In my very small garden , I have 2 compost bins ( black plastic darlek shaped things that were bought from the local council )
We alternate using then , so each your one lies dormant , sitting there and quietly doing it's stuff , making some mega compost for the garden whilst we use the other bin.
These compost bins are like 'black holes'
They seem to devoure what ever veg matter is put into them and still not fill.

My question is ... I have been told yhat no cooked vegetables should be added tooth composted .
Why is this ?
Or is this misinformation and cooked veg are ok to be added.



I always feel a bit guilty when I make a vegetable stock and then have to put the cooked veg remains into the bin rather than the composted ( feels like I'm cheating the composted out of a good meal !)

Throw in the cooked veg! It will help make good compost!
Anything that has been alive can go in! (you do need to worry a bit about meat, but definitely not cooked veg!)
And don't forget to put equal quantity dry leaves, straw etc, that will fill it up and get it smelling beautiful!

BTW We have a big tree carpeting the concrete at the back of the flats with a carpet of small flowers. How the compost loves these! They act really quickly and get it hot and steaming! I sweep up a bucketful or two each day at this time of year!

I read in a book by Jackie French, an Australian gardening writer, that anything organic can go in the compost, 'even a dead cat'.

Hi Mummza,

That's a really interesting question. One argument against cooked vegetables is that if they've been cooked in lots of oils, they are more likely to attract vermin than raw vegetables. However, in practice, unless you added tons of very oily cooked veg I don't think this would be a problem. I certainly add cooked veg and haven't noticed a problem with rats.

I wouldn't however add dairy or meat (certainly not a dead cat) because this will attract rats, flies and smell horrible.

Hope this helps. Love to hear how it goes.

Robin

I have three raised beds in my back yard that gives a lot of vegetables.  Even living in the city, I have five chickens. When the first frost occurs, I pull the dirt to one side in the garden and place all the dirt, poop, and tattered straw from the chicken coop in the bottom of the vegetable beds, recover with the dirt and let rest during the winter. In the spring, I mix it up well and cover with the black barrier cloth. I poke holes in the cloth to plant (no weeding, year).  My garden produces large healthy vegetables, more than you would ever guess.