As long as those tomato plants and cucumber vines, or any other plants in the garden, do not have any disease you can turn them into the soil they grew in. As those plants grew they removed nutrients from the soil and turning them back into the soil will put those nutrients back. That is called sheet composting.

kimmq is kimmsr

Yeah, as kimmq points out, the problem with those 3 plants (and especially the cucumber and tomato) are that they often (very often!) harbor diseases which persist on the plant material. Unless they are subject to at least the heat from a very hot compost pile, the diseases can carry through the winter and infect next year's plants earlier than normal. If you had a very large space, and could do a 3 - 4 year rotation, then the problem can be dealt with, but as it is, each bit of those plants needs to be free of disease for them to be buried as you describe.

It's sometimes much safer to toss all tomato and cucumber plant debris than to risk infection in next year's garden.

I think those plants would get fungi anyway. I was using aspirin in water with success, but that is a 2 week spray protocol and one more thing I would rather not have to do.

Diseased plants are not the norm. Plants with diseases are probably growing in soilks that are not as healthy as they could be.

kimmq is kimmsr

Early blight on tomato, powdery mildew on squashes were the main challenges this year.

Yeah, I live in an area famous for commercial tomatoes. Here, early blight is just a given. It's going to happen regardless. I don't spray though, so for me, removing all tomato debris helps to not invite it earlier than it would on its own.

Powdery mildew can also survive on plant debris. If you are open to fungicides (at this time, I'm not,) you can post on another forum for suggestions, but for those 2 diseases, it's not really a soil issue, as much as a plant debris issue. Burying, or trying to compost plants infected with certain diseases though, invites trouble.

We have a lot of forest on a hill with the garden below on a flat yard at the bottom of the hill. Every summer evening, as the air cools, it flows downhil from the forest to the garden. It carries everything that can float in the air, straight from fungi central. Plus, since the garden was set in a low spot, heavy rain can import naval fungi. Any purchased compost probably had ninjal fungi hidden on board to boot. I took a 5 ft metal rod and was able to sink it to infinity in the garden soil, and can't get it down 6 inches in the lawn soil, so the garden amendments and feed have obviously created a enviroment for microherd growth in the garden. I think I am a victim of my own success. As soil becomes more self sustaining there is less to do and apply, so this fall I will continue to add organic matter in anticipation of spring but I wont add any quickly digested bacterial boosters except prior to seeding time. The fallout from too much bacteria can be fungi arriving to eat them, which I suspect is this years garden environment. So less is now more.

I know that the tomato blight lives in the soil and is splashed up on the lower leaves during rain. So removing all the diseased plants does not get rid of it. I have started doing it anyway (trashing and not composting) just to knock down the levels if possible, but the real key is to mulch as soon as you plant to avoid the splashing. I also spray a couple of times early (before there are tomatoes on) to slow it down. Seems to have worked this year. Or it may just be the weather is different.

I think you are on it. I bet your late season production is good

i pretty much agree with kimmq. Healthy soils and rotation allow sheet composting. I do it.

Thanks everyone. My plants, no doubt, have some diseases. Still have lots of green tomatoes growing in the upper half of each plant but have some dead withered leaves near the base. Squash are still producing although some leaves have what looks like a fine white powder on them. Cukes are a mixed bag. The ones I planted in mid-May are really starting to slow down ... lots of leaves withering. But the pickling cukes planted in mid-June are a disaster ... more blossoms than I could have imagined but few produced. A good third of the leaves seemed to have simply withered away... still a good green color but totally limp. We've had an abnormally large amount of rain this summer, if that might be a factor. Don't use (and don't plan to) pesticides and I use organic fertilizer.

Given your responses, it sounds as if I'd be better off to not take the chance of distributing diseased plant matter.

I'm assuming that it would be equally unwise to use this material in areas where I grow shrubs and perennial flowers, right. Common sense says "right" but I still must ask. Thanks again.

I can see removing watermelon and cantaloupe vines and roots as these are VERY disease oriented. I don't worry about tomatoes and others...I rotate.

Many times plant diseases are introduced into the garden through the plants or seeds you purchase. There have been numerous stories about this in the news the last 5 or so years. This is how most people get plant diseases in the soil they have. As Wayne points out crop rotation can help, if you have enough room to do that. Generally with crop rotation you should have a 3 to 5 year span and enough space (about 300 feet) of separation between planting beds.

kimmq is kimmsr

Kimmq, I never thought the question of How is a gardener like an immune system (?) would be part of my soil learning curve. I have joined Mycological blogs, sat and watched lectures on bacteria, tried to become a nutritionist for dirt and have started studying the energy of the sun ala Sagan. Would you suggest a priority list of pathogenic immunity related points of effectiveness , and perhaps alternatives such as small garden rotation alternatives?

Build healthy soil, a soil that the plants you are growing need to grow strong and healthy. For most plants that means a soil with a pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range and balanced nutrient levels, but some (Rhododendrons, blueberries, etc.) have other needs because of how they evolved and knowing those needs and meeting them will help. Get the soil into a good healthy condition and the Soil Food Web will grow and thrive aiding in growing strong and healthy plants.

Getting the soil into a good healthy condition means more than simply tossing "stuff" at or on the soil. Taking a good look at the soil (testing) is necessary. Perhaps this primer on soil biology may be of some interest.

http://www.envirothonpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/7-Soil-Biology-Primer.pdf

kimmq is kimmsr

Idiot grocery stores!

Don't forget, you can put out the word to your friends, family, and neighbors to help you collect greens for your sheet composting. I had friends who actually saved all their newspapers for my compost pile, and they wouldn't necessarily save any greens other than when they knew they were going to meet me, then they might save some for a day or two. But anything I got was welcomed.

You can also plant cover crops in the fall and winter season that you then turn into the soil in the spring, for added nutrition.

As you trim back any other plants (not just the ones you mentioned), you might be able to use them in your garden, too. I actually welcome the prolific growth of my canna lilies since I would thin out the growing areas by using some of the stalks in my compost, which in your case, you could add to your method of composting.