Pests and Diseases in the Compost Pile

In making a compost heap, how can we avoid carrying over diseases of previous year, as tomato and potato blight, etc.? Do not use diseased tops, vines, or fruits for composting, unless special care is taken in "turning" the heap.

Some of the waste vegetable matter I put in my compost heap had a lot of aphids or similar insects on it. I put lime and superphosphate with the compost. Will the aphids be killed during the winter? The adults will probably die, but the eggs may carry over. At the time of making the compost the vegetable matter should have been sprayed with malathion. However, if the heap is turned "inside out" every 3 months and if every part is thus thoroughly fermented, most insects and diseases will be destroyed.

Does it do any harm to put moldy fruit, vegetables, or mildewed shrubs and leaves into the compost? Any vegetable matter which is not infected with disease or infested with insects may be used safely for composting. Molds resulting from decay do no harm.

Explain the chemistry of the compost heap. Would the pests it might harbor outweigh the advantages for a small (50 x 100 ft.) garden? A compost heap is a mixture of soil, fertilizer, and organic matter. In decomposing, the combination does not always get rid of all diseases and pests. To save organic matter, a compost pile is worth having.