Peanut shells?

[nachoqtpie]

So, I decided that we should have a new counter compost container... yano.. one that has a lid! (Hubs was using one of my lidless tupperware bowls!!!!) So, I grabbed an old ice cream container that I used to help clean out our fish tanks. (Kids fish tanks really... mine are way to big... LOL) So, hubs and I got to talking about what we could/should put into our compost pile. Peanut shells came up, and I said I thought they were okay.
ARE they okay? And what about pistachio shells?

 

[calendula]

I have found that peanut shells take a really long time to break down. Whenever we screen our compost out, there's always peanut shells left behind. But, we still compost them anyway, because I'm sure they eventually break down. And our chickens love to eat them when they scratch around in it.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Yes peanut shells take a long time to break down but they are still good for the compost pile. If you can, try to train your family to crush the shells with their fingers before tossing the shell into the trash bowl. The more you crush them the quicker they break down.

A long time ago I built a heavy duty "food processor" type of compost collection grinder-upper. I used a lawn mower engine with the lawn mower deck attached as a top for a cut off 55 gal. drum. I used a shaft from a discarded cement mixer and made a 12" steel chopper blade. I would pile kitchen waste, sticks, dry weeds in the drum and lower the "food processor" into the pile. Within 10 seconds I could grind up 25 lb. of good chopped compost ingredients. About ten years ago my contraption was stolen from a neighbor who borrowed it. I keep wanting to build another but never get around to it.

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes peanut shells take a long time to break down but they are still good for the compost pile. If you can, try to train your family to crush the shells with their fingers before tossing the shell into the trash bowl. The more you crush them the quicker they break down.

A long time ago I built a heavy duty "food processor" type of compost collection grinder-upper. I used a lawn mower engine with the lawn mower deck attached as a top for a cut off 55 gal. drum. I used a shaft from a discarded cement mixer and made a 12" steel chopper blade. I would pile kitchen waste, sticks, dry weeds in the drum and lower the "food processor" into the pile. Within 10 seconds I could grind up 25 lb. of good chopped compost ingredients. About ten years ago my contraption was stolen from a neighbor who borrowed it. I keep wanting to build another but never get around to it.

THAT is a great invention Smiles! You could market that I betcha!
I would be in line for one for sure.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

THAT is a great invention Smiles! You could market that I betcha! I would be in line for one for sure.

My wife hated the looks of the thing so I always kept it out of sight in the tractor shed. But it was beautiful to me.