[allotmentann]

Jay, do you rip up the loo roll tubes, or put them in as they are? I've never had a compost heap before so no idea. I'm going to have to completely change my mindset about waste and what can be used to compost, I stead of mindlessly binning/ recycling 

Anything that was once living can be composted, including old clothes made from cotton or wool, hair, feathers. vacuum cleaner emptyings, cardboard, paper, wood shavings etc,
The only real no no's are the stuff you probably would not want to touch anyway, such as dog, cat, and human waste. Although liquid human waste is excellent diluted.  Also, most people would not compost meat or cooked products as it can attract rodents.
There may be various reasons why some people would not compost some of the above list, but they will all compost. Generally the smaller you shred anything before adding it, the faster it will compost. If you can stir it occasionally it will compost even faster.
The only time I  have had the odd potato sprout in the compost bin is when I have added whole ones.

[JayG]

Jay, do you rip up the loo roll tubes, or put them in as they are? I've never had a compost heap before so no idea. I'm going to have to completely change my mindset about waste and what can be used to compost, I stead of mindlessly binning/ recycling 

If it's rippable I rip it! (smaller pieces rot down quicker than larger ones, which is true for everything that goes on the heap - best to mix cardboard in with the other stuff and not add too much at a time, and also sprinkle with water if it looks a bit dry.)

[ThatsNice]

Thank you
I shall need to find a container of some sort to transport stuff from home to go in the boot of the car for the compost heap  on my plot, when I've built it 

[gremlin]

Thank you
I shall need to find a container of some sort to transport stuff from home to go in the boot of the car for the compost heap  on my plot, when I've built it 

I reuse many times old plastic sacks from when I have bought seed compost or sand and gravel.  Some of the bags are years old.  I find lots of little bags are easier to lift and carry than a few huge 120 L bags of wet compost. And small bags don't burst in the car either.    (I've just been reading about other people's experiences of transporting bags/tubs of manure in the car)

And on the OP.   I compost whole rotten & worm eaten spuds and thick peelings.  They do sprout in the the bin  but after they have been in the bin in the dark for a minimum of 18 months, they are good and dead.

Much more worried about attracting mice by composting ( uncooked ) kitchen waste.

[Trillium]

As for egg shells, I always rinse mine out first, then crush them up

I can't remember which tv garden series I watched but I recall someone had a complex method of growing brassicas in a clubroot infested plot with good results.  The seeds were started off in pots of compost and repotted to develop a good root system before planting out - the final potting compost was a mix of compost, horticultural lime (obvious now) and crushed egg shells.  I'm not sure what the purpose of the egg shells are (calcium?) but ever since then I've saved all my egg shells and dried them, then used a mortar & pestle to break up and grind to a gritty powder and stored in a tub ready to use.  It's not as industrious as it sounds and while I realise the lime is the key to raising the pH, as I've always had good results it's a method I stick with.

I used to rinse and save my egg shells in a carrier bag and when it was full enough I'd take an old mallet to it and pound down the shells to small bits that would be sprinkled around most veg. But I like your idea better of powdering the shells - makes for faster absorption, especially around finicky tomatoes and saves lots of space.

[juliec]

I put mine in the worm bin and let them enjoy them,  then use the casings in my compost. whether thats good or bad I'm not sure. LOL

Julie

[Trillium]

Worm castings are like gold and should be directly applied to plants, but light handed as they're very rich/strong.