Do you compost your Tomato plants?

[gixxerific]

Just wondering how many people do, I sometimes do and sometimes don't.
The reason I don't at times is because I'm scared of the risk of disease carrying over to next year. But than if it is already in the soil does it matter? I'm under the belief that that the mold type problems wouldn't be a problem overwintering. I have composted some of mine already with what I believe is septoria spot on them. Just wondering if I should go ahead and compost the rest or throw them out, in the garbage. I just hate to throw them in the trash though.

What do you do?

What would yo do in my situation?

Thanks.

Dono

[gumbo2176]

gix, I did a quick check on this and what I found is this.

One method of control mentioned is to deep plow, preferably in the fall, to bury all plant refuse.

I would think if they recommend that, how would that be much different than simply composting it under layers of other material to decompose in a pile rather than underground where not as much heat and rapid decomposition take place.

I toss all plant material in my compost pile. If it is a bit woody, I simply run over it with the mower a few times to break things up. The only things I won't put in the compost are the heavy stalks of my okra plants since they are very thick and woody and any squash plants that have signs of squash vine borers. That stuff goes to the curb----only because it's against the law to burn rubbish in my city.

[gixxerific]

Not sure where you found that but if you dig deeper you would probably find many different ideas on the subject.

Composting in IMHO would be better than digging in. At least if the compost is hot enough it has the chance to kill the spores and whatnot infecting the plant.

The thing is that viruses if I remember right can not be dealt with in either manner. That is why I'm a little cautious about putting them in. Though as you said I "normally" put everything in my compost.

Another reason being they are TOUGH though I run them over with a mower as well. I even dug some stuff out of the compost the other day that wasn't composting and ran that through the mower. Still looking to buy a garbage disposal that I can use I already know how I want to utilize it. That was Gary350's idea found [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28560&highlight=garbage+disposal]here[/url]

[rainbowgardener]

I've been wondering the same thing. Other years I have let the tomato vines dry a bit and then run them through my little shredder. But my plants are also struggling against septoria.

But here's an article I found:

https://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A2606.PDF

It says septoria can survive up to 3 years in (uncomposted) infected debris. And says "do not compost infected vines unless you practice stringent composting that will insure prolonged heating to kill disease organisms." I think that leaves me out, though I still wonder a little if the grinding up first would help any with making sure the fungus is killed.

It does mention the part about burying the remains deeply helping to prevent the fungi/ spores from overwintering. But doesn't really say what deeply means... is 6" enough? 2 feet?

Much as I hate to, I may just trash my vines this year...

If I kept separate compost piles so that I could insure that the compost with broken down tomato vines in it doesn't go back on the bed where the tomatoes are, I would do that. But I can't really get in to separate piles...

[gumbo2176]

I just did a quick google search for Septoria and went to 4 sites that came up. Almost all had the same basic information with a little variance on how long to rotate out from planting tomatoes in that area. A couple sites said up to 4 years and another said only 1 year.

There was a bit of info about weed control to help keep this at bay with horse nettle, Jimson weed and nightshade being mentioned. There was also info about effective fungicides and spray schedules along with advice to contact you local agencies about control methods.

I saw the post about the garbage disposal method of shredding compost material. Heck, I don't even have one of those in my kitchen sink. Truth is, when I had one, I had more drain problems in a year than I have had in the 18 yrs. I've been in this house.

[gixxerific]

I feel ya on the burying spores. Since in a perfect world as soon as you plant tomatoes you should mulch with something, obviously not last years compost. This helps keep the spores off the leaves which is obviously how it spreads.

But with the virus thing that doesn't help so much. I will more than likely chop than compost my tomatoes. We shall see. But I have a huge pile out there I just cut down from some unresponsive plants.

Does it really matter anyways with all the leaves that have already fallen to the ground as well as tomatoes, the spores are there.

[tomf]

I just till all the old plants back in to the soil in the fall.

[engineeredgarden]

I never compost tomato plants. Viruses can be introduced into the pile that way...

EG

[vermontkingdom]

I have several large compost piles and all plant material goes into them. This has been a fabulous growing year but at this time of the garden cycle, as usual, the tomatoes have blight, cukes and squash mildew and beans rust. I have 50 tomato plants so I would send an awful lot of foliage to the dump if I go that route. Just can't do it. So, the stuff will go into the hot piles and I'll hope the heat does its job of killing the spores.

[cynthia_h]

I have just the one compost bin, and it runs on the cool side. I'm simply unable to turn it very often (twice a YEAR is doing good) to increase the temps, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about getting it more sunlight.

That said, I put tomato plants into it if they've died of old age, dehydration, or simple exhaustion. I do *not* put them into it if I'm uncertain about what killed them.

I also don't compost tomatoes themselves. The pile isn't hot enough to de-activate tomato seeds! And I don't want a repeat of The Carpet of Tomato Weed Compost, as recounted elsewhere at THG. So the "uncertain agent of doom" plants and the tomato seeds, for sure, go into the yard waste container for transport to a commercial, very hot, compost operation.

(At least, that's what my solid-waste operator leads us to believe....)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Gary350]

Not this year my tomato plants died from blight.

[gixxerific]

I have been culling a few tom's here and there. I have been bringing them to one of my neighbors to put in his yard waste bin for the city. But I think will it actually kill the disease. If not I am just transferring it to someone else and that is not good. Maybe myself If I were to buy that compost. Or who knows what may be growing in that stuff.

Heck maybe that is where it all came from?

I would hope it didn't. Where I get compost now is further away but they have an A-Class facility and it is more than likely safe.