The composting process is the great neutralizer :-) What may go in that is less than strictly organic will come out as an organic product in that any synthetic fertilizer or pesticide traces will have been broken down into their natural elemental components. As borderbarb indicates, I think you have more to fear from any airborn particulates than from any non-organic vegetative sources and even that concern is fairly miniscule. What shouldn't be composted is the same for labeled organically sourced materials as it is from non-organic products - stay away from fats, dairy and meat products. They of course can be composted but tend to alter the process slightly as well as attract vermin.

Onions and their friends garlic, shallots and leeks all grow underground as bulbs (they're part of the lily family). They have naturally occurring compounds that stave off bacteria and fungi, which helps them survive for a long time underground. Therefore, they aren't the most easily compostable thing in your kitchen...I think the onion has to be very old and "weak" before the bacteria/fungi can win the fight and chomp it up. Onions will compost, it takes longer than it takes a banana peel.

I've heard of it, and other brands of "compost fleece." It's a fairly common geotextile application. I don't think woven landscape fabric would serve the same purpose, because it doesn't shed rainwater. Here's some more sources: Autrusa Compost P.O. Box 1133 Blue Bell, PA 19422 610-222-0937 610-222-0939 Fax Contact: George Leidig info@autrusa.com http://www.autrusa.com Supplier of Top Tex compost covers; manufactured in Austria Texel, Inc. 245 Ten Stones Circle Charlotte, VT 05445 802-425-5556 802-425-5557 Fax Contact: Steve Wisbaum E-mail: wisluria@together.net Supplier of Compostex compost cover; manufactured in Canada Midwestern Bio-Systems 28933 35 E. Street Tampico, IL 61283 815-438-7200 815-438-7028 Fax Contact: Edwin Blosser 104177.1372@compuserve.com The link below has lots of info on Compostex. Here is a link that might be useful: Compostex

-What is the purpose of fermentation? Why are fermented scraps preferable to fresh ones? --Purpose? In a kitchen bucket, it has the same general purpose as compostingto break down material into plant-accessible nutrients. Its just a different process, requiring conditions easier to maintain in a bucket. I dont know that fermented matter is always preferable; that depends on your needs and situation. For me, bokashi means I can feed my container garden all my kitchen waste (including meats, dairies, and oil). The liquid has value as a fertilizer, too, and is harvestable in as little as a few days after starting a bucket fermenting. Also, materials compost more easily after fermenting than when fresh. -Does it smell? If so, how much? Any rat or bug issues so far? --If you have the right container, theres no scent at all outside the bucket, so nothing to attract pests. When you open a healthy bucket, the smell is like vinegar, though if youve added a lot of a strongly scented item, the bucket will smell like that and vinegar for a day or so. Mistakes will stinkas with any processbut I didnt run into any problems until after I started testing which of the retailer instructions I could safely ignore, so if you follow directions, thats probably not an issue. -G- -Does fermented stuff take longer to compost than fresh stuff? --No!!! Fermented bokashi speeds aerobic composting marvelously; you can add it to a slow pile as an accelerator. I get fresh compost from cured bokashi and dried leaves in about a month, ditto from bokashi and soil (as with any compost, it should be left to mature awhile before using in the garden, and Im still testing those times). -Is anyone burying the fermented stuff without composting it first? If so, do you live in the city/ have rats? --Sadly, I have no holes in the ground. -The biggest benefit as I see it, is that I wouldn't need browns. I could probably filch a used newspaper here and there, but finding browns in three times the quantity of my kitchen scraps is not proving easy. If I can compost without having to drive around looking for bags of leaves/ begging home depot for sawdust, so much the better. --This is true. If youre going to trench (bury) orplanter-finish your bokashi, youll need soil but no browns. To compost your bokashi in a container after fermentingI recommend that part be done out on a balcony or other outdoor spaceyou will need some browns, though not nearly so many as with fresh-matter aerobic composting. Ive been using equal volumes of bokashi and dried leaves; YMMV. Retail EM bokashi bran is usually wheat bran in the US, but thats convenience and consistency more than anything, and you dont use much per bucket. Buying EM-1 inoculant fluid is cheaper than buying pre-mixed, and you can make your own bokashi "bran" with any number of things. Im playing with used coffee grounds right now, and have used EM inoculant fluid in shredded newspaper with some success. Cant speak to the non-retail newspaper-and-whey technique, as I havent yet tried it (small space, lots of experiments, but I will, soon. Ish). If odors are a concern, you might add a handful of really good soil and hope for rhodobacters! Obligatory disclaimer: while not a retailer, I do have a blog about bokashi, so am probably not the most unbiased of sources. DSF