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David E. Ross · 11-08-2008, 05:34 PM posted to rec.gardens

On 8/10/2008 4:38 PM, wrote:
Hello, my wife and I just started a compost heap outside.
Can we add seeds to the green portion - such as avacado pits, cherry
pits, etc ?

-Thanks

Avocado pits are fleshy and should decompose okay.

I would avoid the pits of stone fruits such as cherries, peaches, plums,
etc. While the shells will split and allow the kernels to either
decompose or sprout, the shells themselves are harder and denser than
wood and will take forever to decompose. The same is true of certain
nut shells (almond -- which is actually a stone fruit, walnut, pecan,
and others). The problem with the shells not decomposing is that they
will not go through a compost sifter and will block the sifter from
passing finer materials.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/