Growing Things: What to put in your garden compost

Edmonton Journal

4 days ago

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Q: My husband and I have a conflict over what is suitable material to be composted for our garden. He wants to put meat and bones into the garden, where I understand it should be more vegetable matter. We agree on that part, and both of us put in coffee grounds and vegetable scraps. When our sons-in-law visit, they help clear the table after a meal. I tell them to put the bones in the garbage, and my husband tells them to put them in the compost pail. The poor fellows don't know who to listen to. We both read your column, so your comment would hopefully settle the matter. Our two sons-in-law would be relieved, I'm sure, to have this matter resolved.
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A: I hesitate to get between a husband and wife disagreement, but in this case, I feel I must. The City of Edmonton composting website edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/how-to-compost states that meat and bones are 'tricky' to compost, and they recommend trying these materials in small amounts. While meat and bones can technically be composted, it's generally not recommended for standard home compost piles due to the risk of attracting pests, odours, and potential food safety concerns. There is also a risk that meat and bones can harbour harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which could contaminate your compost and potentially your plants, according to Michigan State University.
Q: I have a 40-year-old mountain ash tree that had a bumper crop of berries this past winter. Now, most of those berries are lying on the grass. It is literally red with berries. My question is, can I leave the berries on the grass or will they damage the lawn?
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A: I have dealt with the same problem myself in the past. I raked up all of mine because that many berries could create an acid problem that could affect the lawn. It is best to remove the berries. The other problem is that I find that mountain ash berries break down very slowly, so you would be stuck with the berries for some time before they break down.
Q: Would you be able to tell me the name of a shrubbery that grows so thick that even a cat can't get through it? It would be perfect as a divider between my neighbour's yard and mine. I've heard of it but can't remember where.
A: The best hedging material for your purpose is likely Cotoneaster. A Cotoneaster hedge is very hardy and looks great trimmed. The bonus is that it offers fantastic fall colours. The hedge is just ablaze in reds, oranges and golds. When trimmed, the plants will bush out nicely filling in most of the spaces with branches that make it very difficult for any cat to pass through.
Every week, Growing Things Outdoors runs online at edmontonjournal.com or, if you prefer an epaper format, epaper.edmontonjournal.com
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