I have a couple of questions. In the past I never composted any diseased plants (powdery mildew) or plants damaged by insects (spider mites and cabbage loopers).

Question 1 - I grow peas every spring. Every year as the weather heats up, I get powdery mildew. I control it with milk. I have never composted the plants but I still get the mildew every year even though I rotate crops to different beds. So why shouldn't I just compost the plants if I am getting the same disease every year no matter what I do.

Question 2 - I get spider mites on my beans and cowpeas every year. I do not spray for them because I can get a good enough harvest before they are completely destroyed. I also rotate beds. This year was a new bed that had never been used before. I still got spider mites. So why shouldn't I just compost the plants if I am getting the same insect damage each year.

Question 3 - I get those caterpillars every year on my brassicas. I know I can use BT to control them or cover them with row cover. But some times I don't get around to taking care of them because I can get enough broccoli without spraying. So why shouldn't I just compost the plants if I am getting the same insect damage each year.

I know the literature says don't compost in these instances but based on my practices, I still get the disease or insect damage each year. I do not like to spray my veggies with anything if I can get a good enough harvest to satisfy myself. But it just breaks my heart not to be able to use all that material in my compost pile.