Composting

[Geoff]

Do you burn or compost your Sweet Pea and Runner Bean plants?
I usually burn them but I seem a bit short of compost this year so when I stripped the Sweet Peas today I layered them up with weeds and grass and will give the heap a good soak tomorrow but still wonder if they'll break down. Runner Beans haven't finished yet but they are even tougher to consider.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Geoff, now I have gone over to using compost bins, instead of large open heaps, I burn all my Runner Bean tops, as I have so many of them….but I will compost the Sweet Peas! When I used to compost them, I found they rotted down really quickly, if mixed with grass cuttings.

[Geoff]

Thanks for that. Runner Beans are still in full leaf but the wind and rain destroyed all the flowers so there are only a few beans left. It sounds as if I compost them soon rather than letting them dry I shouldn't have any trouble.

[AdrienneRobinson]

I compost everything - runner bean vines, brassica stems, the lot. I find it all breaks down in the end, and I get some really lovely compost every year. In fact I’ve just finished emptying both my bins and I seem to have more compost than I’ve ever had before. Just mulched half of my growing area with it and my soil and plants seem to love it!