Don’t Compost These 7 Plants When You Clean Out the Garden This Fall

Fall garden cleanup should separate healthy plant debris from diseased plants, invasive species, mature seed-bearing weeds, and persistent perennial weeds before anything reaches the compost pile – Shutterstock

Fall garden cleanup creates a mountain of tempting compost material, but not everything that came out of the garden belongs in that pile. Some plants can carry diseases, spread from stubborn pieces of root, or dump a fresh crop of weed seeds into the compost you plan to use next year.

That does not mean gardeners need to treat every brown leaf like hazardous material. Healthy leaves, spent annuals, grass clippings, and plenty of other garden leftovers make terrific compost ingredients. The trick lies in spotting the troublemakers before they hitch a ride into the pile.