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Plants which generate large volumes of green matter for compost?

 
Steve Hitchen
Posts: 30
Location: Yorksire - North England
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posted 8 years ago
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Hi,

I have a lump of space in my garden which this year I have no significant need for. However - my compost heap can take as much green matter as I can throw at it.

What would be some good plants to grow where my focus is on generating the maximum amount of green matter for the compost heap?

The "soil" is pretty rich - it's two year old wood chip.
 
Tyler Ludens
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Location: Central Texas USA Latitude 30 Zone 8
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posted 8 years ago
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I'm really loving Cardoon, which is also edible. Mine are growing huge - it looks like I'll need to continually cut them back to keep them within bounds in my small kitchen garden.

cardoon.jpg
[Thumbnail for cardoon.jpg]

Idle dreamer

 
D Nikolls
pollinator
Posts: 1782
Location: Victoria BC
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posted 8 years ago
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Borage and Comfrey are the first couple that come to mind for me. Careful with the comfrey, it can get outa control. The 'bocking 14' cultivar is sterile, but still spreads readily by roots cuttings, purposeful and otherwise.

'Theoretically this level of creeping Orwellian dynamics should ramp up our awareness, but what happens instead is that each alert becomes less and less effective because we're incredibly stupid.' - Jerry Holkins

 
Lou Schultz
Posts: 15
Location: Zone 5a Upstate NY
posted 8 years ago
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Burdock will throw up some big leaves, and has an edible root (known as gobo root in Japanese cuisine) and stem. As a biennial, you can get of it, should you ever decide to, by cutting back before it goes to seed, and by not rototilling the substantial taproot - the pieces will regrow.
 
Jessica Padgham
Posts: 100
Location: Denver, Co 6000ft bentonite clay soil
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What about big annual grasses? I'm thinking thing like rye and sorghum and corn. Probably many things that are traditionally cover crops would work.

Also, I would vote borage over comfrey since it's an annual.
 
Keith Odell
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Posts: 146
Location: Indiana
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Sweet potatoes?

Castaway Compost - Yer Trash be Treasure! castawaycompost.com

 
D Nikolls
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Also, I would vote borage over comfrey since it's an annual.



Fair enough, comfrey is definitely something of a once-only choice! Despite this, it's so useful that I wouldn't want to do without it; I consider the very... persistent... nature of it to be a feature not a bug.

Conveniently, though borage is an annual, it readily self-seeds, so you have it as long as you want it, at least around here.

'Theoretically this level of creeping Orwellian dynamics should ramp up our awareness, but what happens instead is that each alert becomes less and less effective because we're incredibly stupid.' - Jerry Holkins

 
S Bengi
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Posts: 3827
Location: Massachusetts, Zone:6/7 AHS:4 GDD:3000 Rainfall:48in even Soil:SandyLoam pH6 Flat
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I would vote for legumes. unless you are using fertilizer in which case a grass family plant.

Iterations are fine, we don't have to be perfect
My 2nd Location:Florida HardinessZone:10 AHS:10 GDD:8500 Rainfall:2in/mth winter, 8in/mth summer, Soil:Sand pH8 Flat

 
Mike Cantrell
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Second vote for burdock.

But, now that I think about it, if the soil is great, then maybe squashes/pumpkins/melons? They may try to escape their bounds, sending vines around, but you just chop off the strays. And they'll definitely make lots of leaves. But the clincher is, if they set fruit, they'll make many POUNDS of compost. Much more weight, I expect, than anything that will be making only leaves.
 
Nico Neubauer
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posted 8 years ago
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In the tropical zone on the tongan islands i use Now the leafs and stems of outsorted papaya trees for compost. Will See how it works.

Nico
 
Todd Parr
pollinator
Posts: 1793
Location: Wisconsin, zone 4
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Definitely Comfrey for me. My favorite plant.

"People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do."

 
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