Re: composting newsprint

Hank,
Composting newsprint is a great idea; in fact, its often recommended as the
"bedding" for worm composters. Shredding before putting it in the pile will
aid in decomp.

I also use it as the lazy man's way of making a new bed. Water the area
very well, then spread it (whole, not shredded) over the area where you
want grass/weeds/etc killed, overlapping pages and making sure it's about
6-8 sheets thick everywhere. Cover with any organic mulch, including bark
mulch if you need it to look presentable. I cover mine with a good thick
layer of leaves (ground, if possible, to keep them from blowing). If you
start it in the fall, they say you can plant in the spring. I find here in
Tennessee It's better to leave it a full year, reapplying leaves in the
second fall.

I also use it as an underlayment on the paths in my vegetable garden.
Again, spread it good and thick, with overlap. For paths I cover with baled
straw, separating the straw into "books" and laying it down. Periodically I
harvest some really good compost from my paths, then start over.

They say it's all right now to use the glossy stuff, but I don't. Hard to
handle, hard to wet throughly, unsightly, and I don't completely trust "Them."

Gerry

At 10:40 AM 1/15/00 -0600, you wrote:
>I am curious if anyone has had experience with composting newsprint. Last
fall I began to add it to my regular compost bin with apparently good
results. The earth worms were definitely drawn to it. I only used those
sections which had no/minimum color and did not use anything which was
glossy or "stiff". Our local newspaper is printed using a soy based ink.
Any comments?
>
>Hank Zumach
>Stoddard, WI
>zone 4
>
>
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