Look at this pile of weeds! After being away a while I had a big job clearing out all the weeds. I spent an hour or so, pulled them all, then raked most into a big pile. I usually put weeds in my compost bin, but last year’s bin is full. It’ll take another year to compost and empty it. Soon I’ll devise another bin for another corner of my garden and these weeds will go in first.
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OOOOH! I see the dreaded ragweed. Almost clear of that in my garden!!! (not including the little ones coming up from the small bits of root left behind-if vegetables grew as well…)
Aren't you worried about introducing weeds back into your garden when you compost them? I have heard that you need to have a very hot compost pile to kill off any seeds that might be there, and that type of pile would certainly decompose quicker than a year. I tend to throw out my weeds, but that is mostly because I don't know what is safe to compost and what I should be more careful about. (My compost pile takes a long time to decompose too)
It seems to me weeding is a part of gardening. I try to pull the weeds before they go to seed, but other than that, I don't do too much to reduce weed seeds. I think pulled weeds are too valuable as compost material to discard elsewhere.
Why don't you use it as mulch for the paths?
That's a thought. I guess I worry that would look messy.
Have you tried using one of those products they say will "heat up" your compost and speed it along? I've been tempted, since it seems to take so long…
No, I don't do anything fancy with the compost. Maybe other gardeners will comment on this?
The piles gradually compress down. I built a corner bin that holds 2 years of weeds and garden trimmings. If I make a second one now, then I'll be all set. After its full, I'll empty and use the first and then fill it.
I do have a nice compost barrel at home that I am experimenting with. It works faster than the bins. I will remember to check and post on this soon.
I have two compost barrels. I fill one, then move the contents to the second one. This stirs it all up nicely, and I then start refilling the first one. This process gives me reasonable compost in about 3 – 4 months in summer (in Ohio). I do have problems with weeds, in part because I'm too eager … We have huge amounts of stuff to compost, and I'm always looking for ways to get through it faster.
We fill our bin up all spring and summer. In the late fall we pull the top layer of dirt off the raised beds and set it aside. The compost bin contents then get spread across the top of the beds for the winter. Whatever doesn't break down all winter gets turned into the dirt in the spring. The dirt pile then gets added into the bottom of the compost bin for next year.
Thanks! Good methods.