What fruit and vegetables can I compost?

3 February 2014  |  HOTBIN Composting

Nearly all types of fruit and vegetables can be added to your HOTBIN composter, although some are more practical to add than others and the time taken for them to decompose varies.

We have created a table of some of the most common FAQs to make things a little easier for you.

We recommend that any large pieces of fruit and vegetables are cut up into pieces <4cm to speed up their decomposition.

Fruit & Veg Cold Hot HOTBIN
decay
rate
Comments
Apples Yes Yes Fast They decompose quicker if they are chopped
Avocado stones Yes Yes Slow Nuts and stones are designed by nature to resist bacterial breakdown
Bananas Yes Yes Fast  
Banana skins Yes Yes Fast Skins and stalks are soft and have weak fibres so decompose quickly
Broccoli Yes Yes Medium Stalks and florets, cut large pieces to less than 4cm
Cucumber Yes Yes Fast Take care if adding in large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper
Grapefruit Yes Yes Medium Avoid adding to wormeries
Juice pulp n/a Yes Medium If adding pulp from juicing, take extra care to add bulking agent and balance excess water with shredded paper
Lemons Yes Yes Medium Avoid adding to wormeries
Lettuce Yes Yes Fast Take care if adding large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper
Limes Yes Yes Medium Avoid adding to wormeries
Mango Yes Yes Fast  
Melons Yes Yes Fast The seeds are likely to survive cold composting.
Onions Yes Yes Fast Avoid adding to wormeries
Oranges Yes Yes Medium Avoid adding citrus fruit peel to wormeries
Peaches Yes Yes Fast Stones will take longer
Pears Yes Yes Fast  
Pineapple Yes Yes Slow The yellow flesh will compost quickly. Ensure the waxy leaves and skin are chopped up (<4cm)
Potatoes Yes Yes Fast Chop whole potatoes (<4cm)
Pumpkin Yes Yes Fast Seeds are likely to survive cold composting
Sweetcorn Yes Yes Slow Chop these up to less than 4cm (if you can grind them-even better!)
Tomatoes Yes Yes Fast Take care if you add these in large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper