Can you compost weeds, even if they’ve gone to seed? The answer is yes, but there’s a few things to consider:
1) If you have a compost bin that’s 1 cubic yard or greater, your pile should have no issues heating up to the temperatures needed to kill weed seeds (131F for 3 days). I add to one bin for a year before letting it sit for a year…plenty of time.
2) If you’re working with a smaller compost system such as a trash can shown in this video, it will not be able to generate the necessary heat to kill weed seeds.
Try letting them sit for a few days to dry out. Once they’re dry, add all the thin brown stuff to your compost pile. Put your thicker stems off to the side for now.
Weeds are organic material, therefore they will compost- the key is just knowing how to add them, depending on your setup.
I like your site because you make it simple. My questions are …when can I use shredded paper ? and does it word as well as leaves? other question , We have leaves all piled up at the edge of our woods. Whenever I start to dig it up to use I see mold, and the same thing with grass cuttings. This should be good, shouldn’t it?
Shredded paper: Whenever. It doesn’t work nearly as well as leaves- always choose leaves over paper, and there’s no limit to the amount of leaves you can use…the more the better! It’s the best brown material there is, and browns make up 3X the amount of greens in any successful compost pile.
Yes, leaves, leaf mold and grass clippings are all great for composting. I’d suggest adding the grass clippings in thin layers, though… massive amounts of grass all in one shot can tend to mat down the pile leading to odor. That being said, nothing wrong with alternating layers of it and your leaves.
Thanks for writing!