Composting / leaves mulch question

[FromCali]

Hello,

I have some Composting / leaves mulch question

I have heard that it’s not good to use tomato plants in composting / leaves mulch because tomato plants attract lots of diseases. Is that true?
I have also heard that walnut tree leaves are not good for composting / leaves mulch. Is that true?
How about rotten tomatoes or apples? Can they be used for composting / leaves mulch? Do animals get into it since I am doing composting on the ground?

Thanks,

 

[Meadowlark]

Howdy.

Tomato plants: They are fine for compost only if they are completely disease free. If in doubt, don't use them.

Walnut tree leaves: They are allelopathic meaning they have chemicals which inhibit growth of other plants. I would not use in compost intended for garden plants.

Rotten tomatoes and apples: again, as long as they are disease free then ok to use...but expect some pop up offsprings from them.

Animals: Critters like rats and plant eating creatures will occasionally get in there and dig. Just never use any meat products or you can really have problems with animals.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

So long as there is not too much old fruit in there the critters are probably not a problem, and it will add moisture which helps the rotting process. Having it on the ground means the worms find it quickly. I try to put them where I want to use a bit of ground, it improves it no end, especially if you leave a couple of inches when you deconstruct and dig them in.