What to do with old plants?

[Anita Mahaffey]

So the peas have a case of powdery mildew that's traveling from the bottom of the plant upward.  The peas are about spent, so I'm willing to let them go.  But what to do with them?  Should I cut them off at the ground and just let the peas become part of the mulch right where they are?  Can I compost them?

 

I've also got some cauliflower plants from which we harvested the crowns, but no side shoots are developing, so I figure the plant's about done.  Same question as above, onlyl what if they, or other old plants have aphids or other pests? 

 

I have a nice, hot compost heap that my chickens also scratch on, so I'm hoping I can just go ahead and compost ...  Any thoughts or suggestions on the topic would be appreciated!

 

 

[Vynnie McDaniels]

I concur and concurer. Ericka and Chris pretty much nailed it. A healthy, active compost heap and some chickens will manage just about any garden pest (eventually). What the chickens don't devour you can send to the compost and it will break down over time. If you shovel turn your compost pile (even just around the edges if that's all) you can generate more bio-activity.

Way to go Anita! (love all those pics!)
- VYNNIE
Central Phoenix
http://vynniethegardener.blogspot.com/

[Ericka]

I would feed the cauliflower plants to the chickens. I had some old radish plants that had bolted full of aphids, fed that to the chickens and they actually picked off the aphids before they ate the radish tops. Aphids will always be in the garden-always.

I am sure that many people would not compost the peas with mildew, but that is what I would do with them.