Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Amy Davis

Bet you didn't know this was National Composting Awareness Week. I know I didn't.

My kids think my composting is absolutely gross....both the container I keep in the kitchen and the compost bin in the corner of the yard that I occasionally uncork and turn.

I have to admit it is all pretty gross. But I do it because it is good for the soil, which is where all my compost ends up. And it is good for reducing my family's carbon footprint.

Gardeners who are thinking about composting often ask what can be safely tossed into the compost pile.

Here is a good list.

• Clean paper, cardboard rolls.
• Fruits and vegetables.
• Grass clippings and yard trimmings. (Wait to include your grass if you have just treated it with weed killers.)
• Coffee grounds and filters.
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner link.
• Egg shells.
• Fireplace ashes.
• Hair and fur.
• Hay and straw.
• Leaves.
• Nut shells.
• Sawdust.
• Tea bags.
• Wood chips.

Items NOT to compost include.

• Coal or charcoal ash.
• Dairy products, including butter, egg yolks and milk.
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants.
• Fats, grease, large and oils. (These can create odor problems.)
• Meat or fish bones and scraps that may contain parasites, bacteria and germs.

Turn the compost pile with a pitchfork once a week. And layer your additions - some kitchen scraps and then some yard waste.

Keep it damp.

During the summer, you may get "mature" compost in as little as a month. During the winter, when the heat isn't available to speed the decomposition process, it takes much longer.

Go ahead, compost! And gross out your kids!