Composting
We need some experienced people, to talk about composting. Too many people out there toss out valuable garden nutrients. I have a few apartment friends that have a roof top bucket garden. They collect vegetable scrapes from some of the people on their floor for their compost. They made a bargain with the apartment manager for the rights to have a garden on the roof. The manager get free veggies once a week in the growing season. Basic rules that I follow in composting. 1st NO Meat scraps, that will lures rats, raccoons and other pests. 2nd, no seeds from fruits or veggies, or you’ll have a garden in your compost. 3rd, No acidic’s, that means any fruit or veggies with a high acidic content. These acids will kill the microbes that break down the veggie matter. 4th, Turn the material at least once a week, twice if weather is very hot. That's it, that is the basics for a good compost.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
I compost as well. A couple things I would add to your list is:
Egg shells are great to buffer the pH of the compost.
Keep your compost moist...not WET, just moist.
I add coffee grounds, tea bags. I also add my tomato "guts". As long as the pile is kept damp and hot, I don't have a problem with the seeds.
Mind you it took my first time using my dirt from the compost to figure out you can end up with hundreds of seedlings 😆
Composting is great, I have a very closed loop on the farm, I compost everything from the house, and the farm, including things you listed not to add, but I run a number of different composts, some that are for garden use, some that are for use in pastures, some that are used to make hot box's, and lots of composting from the barns that is then used back on the pastures etc. As well as composting in what I can no man land, which is really about combining compost/building soil height in a certain area.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
I have always put eggshells in the compost to prevent calcium depravation, yellow leaves. Some seedlings I will start in an eggshell then when they’re ready to plant I will crumple the shell a bit and plant the whole thing.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
It is my understanding that you can also put paper in the compost....I mean like paper napkins, paper towels (nothing with meat juices on it), coffee filters - even some shredded newspaper is ok. I'm not saying a huge amount...I line my small kitchen compost bucket with any of the above after I empty it and it makes keeping that bucket clean much easier and it's kept dryer (hence less stinky and furry).
PS - I don't mind seedlings popping up in my compost - if I want them, I transplant them. If I don't, they get turned over.
I used to put everything into the compost, a 4 side wood box with no top or bottom. Each spring i would lift off the sides to spread before i tilled the garden, then rest my compost box in a new spot to begin again while i plant the new garden.
Now I have chickens. I give the chickens first crack at the compost before it reaches the garden ( and after). What it would take months for nature to break down, a chicken can do it in a day. Chicken poop goes into a pile to mix in as manure the following spring. Last year we had potatoes as big as a football.
Almost nothing goes to waste out here. We seem to have our own mini-ecosystem.
Humanure handbook
http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=653
seeing the seeds in compost comment, I was wondering about Corn growing in the above related post?
hmm, how well do you chew your corn?
It is my understanding that you can also put paper in the compost....I mean like paper napkins, paper towels (nothing with meat juices on it), coffee filters - even some shredded newspaper is ok.
You can put anything into your compost. Coffee filters and paper towel is ok up to a certain amount. Some stuff takes longer to degrade than others, so its all about proportions. If you know you want to compost coffee grounds, its easy and cheaper to buy a fine screened filter than use paper. You can get screen filters for just about any make of coffee machine. Meat, bones, and fat ( or juices) will compost fine, as long as you can stand the smells and pests that it attracts. if you don't have garbage removal, its better to burn that stuff than to attract magpies,crows, and coyotes, and definitely avoid the smell if its close the the house.