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Compost - what should NOT be used around vegetables?
We have liberal prunings of Lantana Camera, Golden Bells, Cape Honeysuckle, Vitex, Bougainvillea, Texas Mountain Laurel and Myoporum from time to time. Can all of these go into compost which will be used on vegetables?
Are there specific local plants/trees/shrubs which should never be composed for food crops?
Are there specific local plants/trees/shrubs which should never be composed for food crops?
Tags: bougainvillea, compost, lantana
Views: 20
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Marsha Cleaveland on -
I also have a huge Yellow Catclaw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati) which I hope to thin out.... Is there a problem putting it in compost?
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Permalink Reply by Anita Mahaffey on -
One of our first investments when we bought our home was a chipper. I've never regretted the purchase! Our compost just keeps getting better and better over time! Our fall garden is going to be better than anything we've ever done.
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Permalink Reply by Signa Roswall on -
I've heard that eucalyptus should be avoided in compost because its parts, including the leaves, contain a substance toxic to most other plants. Ditto bay laurel. I have a bay tree in my backyard which, being non-deciduous, sheds its old leaves every spring. This spring I wasn't assiduous enough in keeping the fallen leaves raked off the dormant hybrid Bermuda lawn, and in spots where they tended to form drifts as the wind shifted them around, the grass has all but died out. Actually, putting dried bay leaves in among your pantry goods is one way to keep insects out of your grains. Since it appears to be a deterrent to insects, might it not interfere with the good bugs and bacteria one needs in compost? I also wouldn't trust oleander in my compost, but maybe that's overkill.
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Permalink Reply by Hoski Schaafsma on -
If you have a drip system set up, run a water line, like a 1/4" soaker hose through the pile--the water with the heat of the summer decomposes virtually everything very quickly.
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Permalink Reply by Marsha Cleaveland on
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Great idea! At this point, its convenient to dump the bucket of AC condensation water on the pile, since its only a couple of feet away.
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Permalink Reply by Hoski Schaafsma on
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Even a little water goes a long way--we had a Chirstmas tree decompose over one summer. We composted huge amounts of oleander and other plants in our compost and had no problems with any of it.
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