Can you put weeds in your compost

There are various ways to conquer the incoming weeds. You could start one compost heap or bin for all the weedy, seedy waste. Keep another pile or bin strictly for the more weed free material such as leaves, sawdust, grass clippings, coffee grounds, etc. In your weedy bin, as decomposition progresses, turning the pile will mash weed sprouts. If you can attain temperatures of 55 C F for three days, most seeds will be destroyed without losing the beneficial microbes.

To be sure there are no seeds remaining, you can solarize the compost. Or you can put the near finished moist compost in a bucket or bag, let the seeds sprout, and then toss them around to mangle the sprouts. Soil life is happy, seed spouts are crushed.

Another option is to put the dangerous seedy, weedy compostables into a pit or trench. Your compost temperature should stay consistent for several weeks, which you can help by turning the pile or bin when it drops below degrees. In reality, who has time to inspect every weed you are pulling from your planter beds for seeds?

Not me! Here are great methods to kill off seeds before adding them to your cold composting system. These tips are also great for people who tend to neglect their hot compost and want to avoid potential weed regrowth. Make sure you follow basic rules for balancing green and brown compost material. Make sure you keep the compost hot. Turn the pile often to increase aeration and spur fresh heat generation. We publish two new garden articles each week. This article may contain affiliate links.

There is certainly a lot of debate on the pros and cons of putting weeds in a compost pile. Gardens and flowerbeds can produce a lot of weeds in a single season.

But can they be tossed in the compost pile, or should they be thrown away? Some consider the dandelion to be a weed, others a delicious addition to a salad!

Clover is often considered a weed, but it is filled with nutrients. Nutrients that when broken down into the soil can power plants. All plant life eventually breaks down into compost — even weeds! Experienced gardeners may simply thrust a hand into the pile. If it feels uncomfortably warm to the touch, it likely is warm enough to kill all seeds and roots in the pile.

The classic method of composting—the method purists would call the "right" way—is known as hot composting. This simply means that you turn the pile regularly and allowing it to really heat up to degrees Fahrenheit or more.

A properly maintained hot compost pile will kill weed seeds, as well as many other pathogens, so you can compost weeds without having to worry about them popping up in your garden beds.

For hot composting to fully kill all weed seeds and roots, follow these tips:. So-called "cool composting" is a more informal style of composting. It is a passive method that doesn't involve constant temperature monitoring and mixing.

In cool composting, fresh material is constantly added to the top of the heap as the lower levels are breaking down into compost. In cool compost bins, gardeners periodically remove the prepared compost from the bottom of the pile as fresh material is constantly added to the top. Cool composting is an easier style, though it can take somewhat longer.