It can be pretty hard for beginners to manage a compost pile at their residence. If you don’t have a big garden, you can use compost bins to organize the stack. There are quite a few methods that can be used to start a compost pile.
Most people like to use the cold composting process because of its ease. In this method, you just make a pile of all your greens and browns and then continue the decomposition process. There are quite a few different things that you can add to your compost mix. Several people have been asking whether or not it is possible to use potatoes in your compost pile.
Can You Compost Potatoes?: A Brief Guide
Several gardeners have mentioned that potatoes are not the best ingredient to add to the compost pile. According to gardeners, potatoes can cause diseases and encourage maggot growth in your compost. Other than that, new potatoes can grow in your stack if you leave them in your compost for too long.
So, to add these to your compost pile, the best method is to burn these vegetables to ash. Then, add this ash to the compost. Through this process, you will eliminate any chances of maggot growth, and at the same time, you won’t have to worry about any diseases. Adding fresh potatoes to the pile will add to the headache, and you won’t get maximum benefits from the compost.
A barbecue grill can be used to burn the potatoes to ash, and then you can take this ash and sprinkle it over the compost stack. Some gardeners also mentioned that chopping up potatoes into small pieces can also eliminate this problem.
However, cutting the potatoes into small pieces won’t help you avoid maggots from growing in the potatoes. So, to be completely safe, the best method is to burn the vegetables to ash and then add them to the compost pile.
Other than this, it is not viable to add them to your compost pile. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of burning your potatoes, then it is best not to add them to your compost pile at all. There is a chance that the vegetables will ruin your compost pile, and you won’t be able to get proper nutrients from your compost.
To Conclude
Burning them and adding the ash would be best if you want to add the vegetables to your compost pile. Whole potatoes can form new plants and also encourage maggot growth at the same time to harm the compost pile. There is also a chance for infected potatoes to transfer diseases to your garden.
So, if you were thinking of adding potatoes to your compost pile, then first make sure to burn them thoroughly. Otherwise, it would be better to dispose of these vegetables instead of adding them to your compost pile. There are other more viable methods of creating a good pile without using them.