After returning from a week away, the freshly composted areas were thriving with tiny nettle plants
Unless a compost heap is what’s known as a 'hot heap' where the core temperature rises above 55 degrees, it won’t kill any weed seeds that may have inadvertently arrived in it
I have three gorgeous compost piles rotting away nicely, and in June I took some material from one of them, spread it on my raised beds and also potted up some cuttings. We went away for a week in mid-July. There was a lot of rain. When we got back, the freshly composted areas were thriving with tiny nettle plants. I had my work cut out removing them, and they are still popping up. Is my compost doomed? I didn’t have this problem last year.
This isn’t unusual. Unless a compost heap is what’s known as a “hot heap” where the core temperature rises above 55 degrees, it won’t kill any weed seeds that may have inadvertently arrived in it as part of garden waste or even on the wind. Bringing a heap to this temperature can be challenging. Alternating layers of carbon-rich material and nitrogen-rich material is part of the secret, along with some sort of covered sides to keep the heat in and a thick insulating layer of old carpet, straw, or cardboard on top, capped off with a sheet of plastic to keep rain and weed seeds off it. Turning it also helps by boosting the process of healthy decomposition.
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