Kitchen Garden Forum

My broad beans have been covered in chocolate spot. Is it still ok to bung them on the compost heap now they're over?

Dear Mazmezroz, i burn anything that is not healthy, you never can be too careful.

OH you are lucky to be able to have a fire to burn diseased stuff, we haven't been allowed a fire on the plot for years, not having a car now we depend on our son who lives a 1/2 hour car ride to come and take it to the tip.

Bren

Dear Bren, now that is something i hadn't given any thought about. I must say i'm so lucky where i live, i can do virtually what i want.

You have made me feel a little guilty now Bren.

Must admit, we are very lucky now we've moved to have a green bin to dispose of stuff. Where we used to live I'd've had to take it to the tip, but here, you can just leave it out for the council to take it away. My plot is at home, and it sounds like yours is an allotment, Bren? I used to have a 'dirty' compost bin for nasty stuff cos we couldn't have bonfires at our allotment. The idea was to let it rot long and hot, in the hope it broke down most of the baddies.

This topic also came up on a thread about plants affected by blight.

Now that more and more local authorities have started to sell their composted green waste back the public, is there a view that it's not good to put any diseased material into the green wheelie bin?

Can anyone advise whether more the controlled "industrial" composting used by commercial organisations is better at getting the high temperatures & other conditions needed to kill off disease spores?


Colin

I once put Colin's question (above) to somebody who dealt with tons of the locally collected contents of green bins and he assured me that because of the higher temperatures and the regular turning of the material, any diseases would be destroyed.

No need to feel guilty OH, thats what we get for living in a big city, its much better than all the smog and grime we used to have when fires and smoke was allowed.
Mazmazroz we are on a private allotment 2 bus rides away, we are lucky at home this past year as we are supplied with green bags by the council who collect them once a fortnight, I soon fill them with prunings from my shrubs and perennials.

Bren

Monika wrote:he assured me that because of the higher temperatures and the regular turning of the material, any diseases would be destroyed.

Thanks Monika. Unless anyone else has a view to the contrary, I'll start putting my excess/manky stuff back in my Green wheelie bin.

Incidently, I also put things like couch grass & roots in there, as it seemed too much of a gamble to try that in my own compost bin.


Colin

i have spoken to the manager of our council compost heap, who assured me that the extremely high temperatures generated, would kill off any diseased items added to the heap. the same goes for weeds however pernicious they might be