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Re: compost and vermin

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

MS SHELLEY V CORBIN wrote:
> 
> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
> 
> how do you make a compost that doesnt attract mice and rats?<


I had been wondering the same thing, since I received an email with the
following Do's and Don'ts:

>>>Every good gardener has their own compost pile, and most of the items 
we put in the compost come from the outdoors. 

However, there's a lot of items indoors that you can add to your pile.

In the kitchen, save all your vegetable and fruit scraps. Egg shells 
even work well - without the eggs, of course. If you drink coffee, 
save the grounds and  the filters for the compost pile. Have stale 
bread laying around? If you don't want to feed it to the birds, add 
it to the compost - even the leftover chips. 

Some of the items you DON'T want to add to the compost pile from the 
kitchen include anything with meat and dairy products. Forget any 
kind of plastic, whether it's bags or plastic utensils - you can 
reuse these. No foil products, nor milk jugs, these don't break down. 
Stay away from anything that has had contact with toxic cleaners. If 
they're not good for you to ingest, they wouldn't be good for your 
plants either. 

The kitchen's not the only place to find items for compost. When 
you're done reading your newspaper, shred it up.  This is excellent 
for the compost pile. Glossy paper from magazines, however, is not 
for the compost pile. Dryer lint is great for the pile, and so is the 
debris from your house plants; but if it's diseased, keep it out. 
Believe it or not, human hair and dog hair are excellent for the 
compost pile.  It's a great source of nitrogen, and it breaks down 
quickly.<<<

After receiving this email I was planning to ask what you veteral
gardeners thought about this advice and now, because of Shelley's
question, I am.  I, myself, being an amateur was thinking that some of
the "kitchen/food" items would attract vermin!  Any
recommendations/advice would be appreciated, as well!!  Thanks.

 Marlene
  Zone 4


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