Most of the 'garden rubbish' can be composted down and turned into something useful to use in the future on the vegetable plot.
I do not expect anything to rot down quickly in the winter months, as this only happens if you can build a compost heap that generates its own heat, which is not easy to do.
But my point of view on this is, as long as I get compost to use I do not worry to much how long the process takes. Another advantage of composting garden waste is that it stops your rubbish bins from filling up with extra and unnecessary things which will end up going to the local landfill site.
I am using the following garden waste to top up the allotment's compost heap:
- Garden plants that need to be removed but are healthy and free of disease. The annuals will be dying off as the weather turns colder and they begin to look untidy and unattractive. They can be added to the composting materials and will rot down.
- Seasonal things like salad leaves and lettuce plants that are now going to seed and no longer look edible. You can find hardier varieties of seed to take their place and to grow in sheltered places and milder weather spells.
- Plant clippings from shrubs and chopped up bits of woody plant stems. I do not add any from plants that I know are toxic or poisonous such as foxgloves.
- Grass cuttings if you have not used chemicals on the lawn. Add these a bit at a time as dumping a large quantity of grass clippings on a compost heap is a bad idea and they tend to cause problems and smell. If mixed in with other composting materials they will rot down.
- If you have old grow bags that are finished with you can add them to the soil or to the compost heap.
