Composting Rhubarb leaves

 

 

Can I compost rhubarb leaves?

Alot of people seem to beleive that you shouldnt compost leaves from Rhubarb plants. But this is simply an urban myth - it is not correct.  Actually Rhubarb leaves are perfectly fine to add to your compost heap, they rot down well and produce a quality compost which is good to use for growing any crops. 

The belief probably stems from the fact that the leaves are actually poisonous when eaten.  See although the stalks of the plant are edible and delicious sweated down with sugar in crumbles and pies, the rhubarb leaves contain a high concentration of oxalic acid which is pretty toxic to humans and will make you violently sick if you're crazy enough to try and eat them. 

However when added to a compost heap that oxalic acid is broken down and  diluted.  In our considerable years of combined experience composting rhubarb leaves or other poisonous plants does not inhibit the microbial action of composting.  Even compost piles which were nearly all rhubarb leaves and stalks have decomposed very nicely and the compost has behaved like ordinary compost and no inhibition of plant growth was noticed from the compost. 

Besides which it is reassuring to note that even if there is any trace of residual oxalic acid and soluble oxalates in your compost these are not readily absorbed by the roots of plants.

For more information on composting at home visit www.homecomposting.org.uk