We compost very few paper goods. We compost used tissues, but not much other paper. Hubby has a lot of allergies and goes through a lot of Kleenex. We only buy the plain white stuff, and it goes straight into the compost container in the house, which gets emptied once or twice a day. I use cloth handkerchiefs, so they aren't from me. We use rags and not paper towels for almost everything, our last roll of paper towels lasted about 4 years, no kidding. We are dubious of laser printed paper, since the print doesn't actually degrade or come off if you soak it in water. (We have tested it.) That seems unnatural to me, like it has plastic in it or something. And who knows what is in the junk mail we get. The local paper does use all soy based inks, but evidently there are still a few chemicals that are unpleasant in those as well. We do put cardboard down under lasagna beds, and will compost the odd bit of paper that has gotten ucky. But mainly our paper and cardboard goes to the recycling center one mile down the street. I would rather 'return' it for another go than have it rot, since I have plenty of OPL to use for browns in my compost. Marcia

What has a good soil test told you about those beds? How much organic matter is in the soil? What is the soils pH? What about the major nutrients, Phosphorus, Potash, Calcium, Magnesium? What about drainage, soil life, smell, etc.? Perhaps these simple soil tests may be of some help. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1-quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1-foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

@richardbrennan, I agree with almost all of your conclusions (mainly that what is sold or referred to as 'humus' often is not, it's just partially composted stuff, and that browns are useful in soil and part of good compost / organic soil matter). But two somewhat pedantic points: first, when I said even scientists don't fully agree on what humus is, I was referring to the actual chemical makeup and how it works (some claim its role is hormonal). (Even the existence/presence/importance of so-called humic acids etc is debated). That's mostly not critical for end-users - for almost all garden purposes, 'finished compost' or 'organic material that's (mostly) finished decomposing' is sufficient as a definition. (But it's clear that last stage of decomposition - mineralization - is not complete). The second point: I don't think it's correct to say that humus is devoid of nutrients or that it's what remains when 'there is nothing for bacteria or fungus to consume' and that it's all been stripped away. It's stable, in that there is not much decomposing actually occurring, and the organic compounds in there are somewhat resistant to further decomposition, either because they're complex compounds (lignin and related carbo-polys for example or various byproducts of breakdown of other organic materials incl proteins and fats etc), or combined in structures with other soil components like clay, or physically aggregated (clumped) in ways that keep microbes and fungi at bay, or combinations of these and other factors. (Some of these components will get broken down especially if disturbed, exposed to air, ploughed and turned, etc). This includes 'nutrients' trapped in the humus that may, in certain circumstances, be available. That said, partly depends how one defines nutrients and the role humus plays. It's mostly not a 'source' of nitrogen (which it seems to me is often what people are talking about) - nitrogen content and other macronutrients may be low or not directly available to plants; trace or micronutrients can still be present and important. Agree entirely with your point though that the more important role is enabling nutrient exchange, or holding nutrients to make them available. Also very much agree that carbon - brown woody or pulpy stuff etc - is way underrated as soil/compost component. Plants don't (generally) directly make use of that stuff, so we don't tend to call it a nutrient - but all that stuff feeds and is consumed by fungi, microbes, bugs and worms and other wee beasties. And all of those soil denizens (or parts of the soil food web) do contain and recycle and move around and trade/exchange nutrients too (and die and become part of the humus as well). Anyway, quite a digression. Still agree with your main points.

I never trimmed the one I kept one year. It got about three feet tall the second year. Most of the leaves were a very dark green with only a smaller display of the red bracts. The yellow real flowers were beautiful. It was in a dark green ceramic pot and I really liked it much better than the ones you buy. I forgot to water it last summer and it didn't make it. I really need to do one again. I didn't cover it, but kept it outside all summer and into late fall.