We've all made tragic mistakes in the garden — from over-mulching trees to planting the wrong seeds. One unfortunate gardener mistook one product for another, potentially damaging years' worth of compost.
In a Reddit post on r/gardening, one unlucky gardener asked the community if his compost could be salvaged. "I poured about 3 cups of granular weed killer into my compost bin in error… If I use that compost on my plants will it kill my flowers and vegetables? I feel upset at the thought of throwing away the entire 4-5 barrows of compost I have been building up for four years!" they wrote.
While mistakes can happen, this serves as a reminder of the importance of choosing natural, chemical-free solutions for our gardens to protect our environment and health.
In the United States, around 2% of the land in the continental U.S. is covered in turf grass, according to Business Insider. That's over 40 million acres. While grasses can make your yard very inviting, they can use a lot of water, and their maintenance — which often requires herbicides and pesticides — can be very costly.
We recommend switching to native ground cover like buffalo grass or a clover lawn. By swapping out your traditional grass lawn, you could potentially save hundreds of dollars a year on lawn care.
In addition to cost savings, these native plant options support a healthier ecosystem for pollinators, conserve water, and reduce the dependency on harmful chemicals. Even if you're not ready for a full switch, incorporating areas of native plants or practicing xeriscaping in sections of your lawn can start you on the path to these benefits.
When it comes to fertilizer, compost is a great way to give your yard and garden nutrients. Some homeowners have found easy ways to incorporate compost into their gardens using small in-ground containers.
This Reddit poster, however, may still be able to salvage their compost. Commenters had lots to say about his mistake.
One person said, "You need to identify the weed killer's active ingredients and determine how long it will remain active."
The original poster responded, saying: "I can't read the ingredients because I threw out the box since it was the last 1/3 left. I would need to go back to the shop where I bought it to read what the weedkiller ingredient is. I live in Britain where our poison laws are quite stringent so I may be lucky enough to have escaped disaster."
Fingers crossed for this home gardener and their fertilizer.
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