Wood should be kept out of the pile or set into a different pile to decompose. It needs to be above the ground to decompose. Once you get the wood rot fungus into the wood, then you can freely add more wood and it will decompose quickly (months instead of years).

I wouldn't worry about walnut materials. Juglone is not a 'persistent' chemical. Once exposed to soil bacteria, it breaks down quite quickly. Living parts of the tree is a different matter though, and roots can continue to release juglone for a time even after a tree is cut down.

I did some research a while back when I cut down one of those 'tree of heaven' plants and wanted to compost the leaves. Here's a link to an article in case you have a Black Walnut tree and have concerns.

I have always been leery of composting vines of any kind, even good ones, as so many will root at the leaf nodes, and from any root, like bindweed. If you do chip and compost the honeysuckle, I would keep an eye on it every so often to see that it's not misbehaving. Other than that, go to town!

I would also stay away from Japanese knotweed. The stuff looks like bamboo and can spread like it as well. That stuff is found everywhere just outside of Boston.

I guess it depends on at what point you consider compost "finished". If you put it in your garden just after the hot (bacterial) phase, then yes, I would be conservative as to adding roots and vines. On the other hand, if you leave it for a year and let the fungus break down all the woody structures, then there is nothing to worry about. Those roots and vines will be consumed.

a bit of BW leaves, mixed with other materials, are fine. If you mat the leaves and they don't decay, then you have a problem. This I know from direct experimentation. I think, but don't know for sure, that I would wait a year on the BW chips before adding.

The earlier comment about avoiding wood applies (IMHO) to thicker branches, not sticks and twigs. Especially when green this so-called 'ramial' wood has enough nitrogen to actually heat up on its own. Tree trimming crews making mulch in summer when leaves are green will have hot piles in a day or two. As for the more woody stuff, it works well as mulch for perennial beds and paths. You can add it to a compost pile but it's going to take time to break down. I second the idea of making a pile of wood chips and let it rot for awhile, then use it in compost. Works OK in the winter to layer with your kitchen scraps if you don't have a pile of leaves set aside.

Your garden 'containers' might benefit from something other than just compost though. As it breaks down it will compact at the bottom and this is why container mixes are very coarse - drainage and aeration. Some coarsely shredded material mixed into the entire thing might be just the ticket. How large and how deep are these stock tanks? Do they have drain holes?

You could alway cut it, let it dry then burn it. It shouldn't take long for vines to dry enough to burn.

Thanks everyone!

toxcrusadr.......I'm using Behlen Country food-grade tanks. Getting 2' deep ones would have required way too much soil, so I got the 6' long ones that are 2' wide and 1' deep. But.....I can get close to 18" if I pile soil up to the tops. Actually, I drilled too many drain holes and I need to plug some of them up, since it all drains too quickly. I have had to water every 2 days....which is the only down-side to this system. I'm also going to add some plain soil to the bottoms, to hopefully hold in more water. I won't buy any additives to help hold water in, though.....like perlite, vermiculite, peat, etc. I just want to use stuff from my 35 acre property. But it sure would be nice to not have to water so often. I still grow cucumbers, squash and pole beans in the ground, but use these stocktanks for everything else. I have pretty bad arthritis, so it's been a real help to have these stocktanks higher off the ground.

The Juglone in Walnut is mostly in the roots of the trees and not so much in the leaves. I have used Black Walnut leaves in my compost for years with no observed adverse affects as well as mulches, again with no observed adverse affects.

Because of pollution problems yard waste, even quite dry, should not be burned. Composted,or used as mulch, is much better. Composting woody material takes a bit longer than, say, shredded leaves but there is no real reason to not compost wood chips if that is what you desire to do.

If you have Poison Ivy, Oak, Suma, or diseased plants those would be materials that you should consider not composting, or using as mulch.

kimmq is kimmsr

If you cut and dry vines there is no need to burn them. If they are truly dry and totally dead you can compost them. But they must be completely dead. I hang bindweed up ( on bushes, barrows, fences etc) to desiccate. Leaving it on the ground it doesn't dry and just reroots.

Thanks kimmq and floral!