Adding Garbage to the Compost Pile

Are these any good for the compost heap: orange peels, banana peels, and green corn shucks? Yes, any vegetable refuse free of disease is all right. Even weeds with seeds are all right if properly fermented. Do not, however, use coffee grounds. Tests and the U.S.D.A. show they are slightly toxic to plants.

Can fresh table refuse and garbage be applied to the garden? I have been putting everything through a meat chopper and this makes a fine lot of refuse. The problem is how to apply it. Are orange skins of much fertilizing value? The materials mentioned, by themselves, do not constitute fertilizers, but when rotted in a compost pile they are valuable.

The refuse from my incinerator consists mostly of ashes and unburned garbage, such as grapefruit, orange peels, etc. Is this ok to bury in soil having a large clay content? Yes; but better to make a compost heap with 6-in. alternate layers of soil, garbage, grass cuttings, etc. It would take a year to make a good compost, but it's worth the trouble.

After apples have been crushed and squeezed for cider, would it be advisable to use the apple pomace in the compost pile? Yes, apple pomace is all right to add to compost; cover with soil.

What is the case for, and against, adding garbage to the compost heap? Garbage is a most desirable source of compost. Each layer of garbage must, however, be immediately covered with soil to prevent odors. If dogs run loose in your community, unsorted table garbage will attract them unless the heap is fenced in. Garbage also attracts rodents. Garbage can be placed in a pit, at a distance from the house, each layer being sprinkled with a layer of soil and of raw ground limestone. When the contents of the pit are decomposed, it can be added in layers to a new compost heap when one is being built. In this way rodents are kept out of the compost heap and garbage is decomposed underground without odor.