Grow Your Own Magazine

The paths between my beds at the lottie are grass and weeds. I know not to chuck the roots or seeds of perennial weeds in the compost but how's about the leaves in any mowings? Is it ok to compost them or should I just get rid?

__________________
Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.

compost what comes out of the mower,we have prunus trees in the home garden,the dark red leaves,and it's fine in the compost,because the leaves will help to stop the grass from clogging together,you could always add some torn up news paper with it,then give it a drink to wet the paper,

As Lottie dolly says, it's best to have a mixture of brown and green matter in the heap to stop it either becoming too dry or too wet!
Everyone makes such a song and dance about composting whilst if you chuck all organic matter, weeds and all, into a heap in the corner, eventually you will get useable compost! The only thing to avoid are cooked meats which will attract vermin!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Leaves and grass clippings are fine (the only thing I would avoid like the plague is bindweed as this roots itself everywhere). You'd never think it was related to Morning Glory which is notoriously hard to germinate and get growing.

What I was asking was is it ok to compost the leaves of perennial weeds such as dock that may be present in the grass mowings?

__________________
Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.

Hmm, I've put in some bindweed today & yester day . . should I take it out? Or will it be ok if i chop it up?

If the weeds haven't set seeds yet, I don't think there is any problem for you to use in the compost... if you want you can also let them dry out completely before. I did that with some binweed and it does look like they are really dead!! (no new growth whatsoever)
I actually turn weeds straight into the soil when they are still young, I'm always after a bit more of organic matter !

NEVER CHOP BINWEED
every little piece makes a new plant! dried them out under the sun and make sure they are really, really dried dead

Burn the bindweed and put the ashes on the compost heap. Or put it in the garden rubbish collection sack on bin day. It's evil!!

the only thing you can do with bindweed is to chuck it a bucket of water and let it rot. If you put it onthe compost heap it will just continue to grow and you will never get rid of it. It's a real surviver. Other perennial weed leaves are ok as long as they haen't got seeds on as these will grow again.

Sheila, does this mean that if you let it rot in water it's Ok then to put it on the compost heap or on the garden? I've hacked out two big bin bags of it this week and now I don't know what to do with it!

We don't have a 'green' collection here and outdoor burning isn't allowed (I think).

The worst of it is that I haven't got all the bindweed out - has anyone got any ideas?

__________________
My hopes are not always realized but I always hope (Ovid)

Yes, rot the bindweed down in a bin/water butt until the liquid stinks & you can no longer see anything that resembles bindweed. Pour it on your compost heap, then immediately leave the premises (it stinks like pig sh!t)

Or, if we had any sun, you can dry the bindweed in the sun, on a paving slab or similar, until it's brown & crispy dead. Then add to your compost heap.

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Two Sheds - thanks for your advice - it's nicely clear and understandable.

Thanks again.

__________________
My hopes are not always realized but I always hope (Ovid)

Ha! that makes a change

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

If you have a recycling center, that used to be called the council tip, they'll take any weeds for their green waste because apparently their compost heaps heat up to 80C plus, and kill any weeds off.

True, Taff, but by doing it yourself you save petrol and add some nutrition back to your garden.

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

you can also bash perenial roots to bits and then add them, The idea is to pulp them....good stress releif and no evil weeds either

__________________
www.myspace.com/alexfcooke
www.outofthecool.com

Dig out as much bindweed as you can and then attack any new growth with Roundup. Not organic I know but it works

__________________
Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet