18 Comments

Hey! Love the newsletter. I've got a nerdy composting question: I try to compost my milk cartons and paper take-away containers lined with PLA (polylactic acid), but the plastic doesn't break down quickly in my bin. Is there any reason I shouldn't burn items with PLA liners before putting them in my compost? Thanks!

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Okay, I just read every post up to this one and now I’m in--I’m going to stop using the stupid small rotating compost tumbler that doesn’t work and dig myself a pit. I’m in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s going to be wet--maybe I need a roof? I’ll figure that out.

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I've been composting for 2 or 3 years now. We have an oak tree in our yard. I tried adding dead oak leaves to our pile thinking that would be a great source of carbon, but they basically never decayed... Then I read one place that oak leaves have something in them that resists composting (lignan maybe?) I didn't look any further and discontinued adding oak leaves. I'm wondering if what I read about oak leaves is true and they're not great for compost, or if one only needs to do X and Oak leaves become a great compost addition. thanks

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I am so excited about this!

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Can you share your thoughts / explain why compost tumblers make composting more difficult? Would you consider a house visit to consult on best practices? Do you have tips to share on general soil health (how to identify, how to reinvigorate, does soil ever ‘go bad’?)?

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