Bulky organic materials - Plant wastes

Best organic practice - the first choice

• Compost, and worm compost, made from garden, allotment and kitchen waste; low grade paper and card; other compostable household 'waste'.

  See also:

  • Composting and soils factsheets
  • Garden Organic books
• Autumn leaves and leafmould

  See also:

  • Making your own leafmould
• Shredded woody prunings

  See also:

  • What can I do with woody garden waste
• Green manure cover crops

  See also:

  • Green manures factsheet
  • Garden Organic Guide to Green manures
  • The selection of green manure seeds available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
• Lawn mowings, comfrey leaves and other fresh green materials. These make ideal compost activators.

  See also:

  • Garden Organic Guide to Comfrey
  • Garden Organic books

Acceptable organic practice

• Autumn leaves from local parks, cemeteries and other traffic-free areas

  See also:

  • Making your own leafmould
• Bought in composts made from green waste and other materials approved in these guidelines. Ideally with a recognised organic symbol or conforming to PAS 100 standard.

  See also:

  • Compost specification details from WRAP
  As kitchen waste cannot be guaranteed to be GM free, composts containing food waste cannot be awarded an organic symbol.
• Straw and hay, from organic sources
• Shredded prunings from local sources
• Chipped or shredded wood - from wood not treated with preservatives
• Composted bark, from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forests, preferably organically approved.
• Sawdust and wood shavings, preferably from local sources, from wood not treated with preservatives
• Other local waste plant materials, such as bracken and spent hops, composted before use if not from a certified organic source
• Mushroom compost from certified organic sources

Acceptable, but not for regular use

• Straw and hay from non-organic, non-intensive systems. Check with supplier as to what herbicides have been used; some may harm your growing plants.
• Mushroom compost from non organic mushroom producers, stored under cover, or composted, for six months before use

Not suitable for organic gardening

• Peat or coir as a soil conditioner
• Leaves from busy roadsides and other polluted locations
• Leaves and leafmould collected from woodlands
• Any materials containing levels of Potentially Toxic Elements greater than those permitted

  See also:

  • Footnote about Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs)