Composting dandelion roots

[SpadelessAdeParticipant]

Hi there Charles, I wonder whether it’s OK to put dandelion roots and leaves (no flowers!!) on the compost heap, or will they continue to grow? I also have quite a bit of bittercress (unfortunately flowering) as I haven’t been able to be very vigilant in the garden at home (the allotment takes a lot of my time!), and I wondered whether to put that on the compost heap, or whether it’s better to get rid of it in the council recycling bin we have at home.
Thanks again for any help you can offer,
Adrienne

[charlesModerator]

 Hello Adrienne, Yes you can compost them, with a word of caution for the bittercress – if it is flowering that is fine but I would not include many plants which look as though they have seeds. Some seeds is fine, you are just making more work for yourself later though and there is not a lot of bulk in bittercress.
Dandelions would regrow if nothing else is being added to keep the heap fermenting but in practice this would be unusual and it has never happened to me.

[SpadelessAdeParticipant]

Thanks very much Charles, I’ll compost the dandelion roots and leaves then (I’m thinking they may be a good addition nutrient-wise to the heap and it would have seemed a shame not to be able to use them!) And yes, I take your point about the bittercress, there isn’t much bulk in them is there, and they do come up very readily already without any help from me adding more of them!

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