Can I Compost Tomatoes?

Yes, you can compost tomatoes – they’re essentially little balls of water and rot down very quickly – but do keep in mind that the seeds may germinate the following spring, potentially leading to rogue tomato plants in your compost heap or flower beds.

(That might not sound like a big deal in most circumstances – you can just pull up the plants as you would any unwanted weed or even transplant them and grow them on to full plants – but some people might want to avoid the extra work.)

If you grow your own veg and the tomatoes were tasty enough to be worth it, you can save the seeds for sowing properly – use a ferminating method to reduce the likelihood of seed-born diseases or saving bad seeds. (However, keep in mind that many supermarket tomatoes are from hybrid plants so might not grow “true”.)

Also see: Can I Compost Tomato Plants/Vines?

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