Newspaper plays role in compost

My question relates to the use of our local newspaper (The Spokesman-Review) in the compost bin. Can you tell me what the ink base is? Many printers are now using a soy-based ink for publishing. Also, if soy-based ink is used for The Spokesman-Review, does that also apply to the pages that have colored pictures, ads or other items? I am an avid composter and would like to make use of our daily newspaper by including it in our compost pile.

Debra Wecker

The Spokesman-Review uses soy-based ink in its printing, but the advertising circulars use a variety of inks. It’s not a good idea to include them in your compost pile.

Another way to use newspaper as compost is to lay eight to 10 sheets down directly on the ground on next year’s planting beds, anchoring them with rocks, board or dirt. The paper will keep early weeds from getting started, and you can just cut holes in them next spring and plant.

Plant for fall color

I predict we’ll have a frost next month or the one after. All the gorgeous color my deck pots have provided will be over. That’s not so unusual, I guess, but I’d like some help doing something unusual about it. I could use some advice on what plants to put in pots for the deck in the fall and winter. Mums come to mind, as does kale. What else would grow well in pots on an outdoor deck over the fall and/or winter and provide some color?

Rob Spafford

Coeur d’Alene

Mums will be good until we get a really hard frost. The kales and cabbages will last even longer. For year-round color consider some of the dwarf conifers that come in different shades of green, blue-greens, golds and yellows. Some of these include Jean’s Dilly dwarf spruce, Sherwood Compact or Valley Cushion mugo pine, Nana Gracilis Hinoki cypress or Mother Lode juniper. These are just a few of dozens of small evergreens that can overwinter in large pots here. Do a Web search for dwarf conifers suitable for pots and see what you come up with.

It is important to use large pots (bigger than 16 inches or so) for year-round plantings. Larger pots don’t freeze and thaw as rapidly as small containers. Repeated freezing and thawing can tear fine roots and kill the plant. Pots should be plastic or hard-fired ceramic and must be able to drain to prevent ice from breaking them. Terra cotta pots are too porous.

Another option is to do some trmming on your evergreens close to the holidays. Arrange the pieces in your pots (before the soil freezes) and enjoy them the rest of the winter. Add a few interesting branches with colored bark or unique shapes to balance the evergreens.