Composting Rhubarb leaves?

 

Hi all,
 I cut a dozen rhubarb stalks from my yard the other day, and
proceeded to put the leaves in the compost pile. I know the leaves are
posionous, but does anybody know if they will break down okay? I
really didn't think about it at the time- duh!!

 

Merryb wrote:

They will break down just fine.  The poison is not very dangerous and it is
not very persistent.  It is oxalate an organic compound which will go into
the mix and come out as something else and/or at least be greatly diluted.

David

 


Thank you- I will sleep better tonight! A compost bin is quite a
commitment, and I'd be quite sad if I screwed it up!

 



:-))  Compost bins are never worth losing sleep over.  I've been screwing up
compost making for decades and I've decided that I actually like all the
voluteer plants that grow from the 'finished' compost.  Mind you if you
don't like tomato plants in your flower beds, you do have to have separate
compost heaps - one for ornamentals and one for the veg.

 


I have some pretty healthy potato plants coming up in it!