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Whenever possible, it's best to avoid adding diseased plant matter to a compost pile. That said, some diseases are less worrisome than others. For example, I don't have any problem adding squash leaves that have been affected by powdery mildew, but I would never consider adding tomato vines affected by late blight. Another consideration is what type of composting you do. I don't have any scientific basis for thinking this, but I feel that if you're using hot composting there's a better chance of killing off whatever potentially harmful bacteria you might add through some diseased matter. My 2 cents.
I agree with Roger. Composting to 140 f. will kill most harmful bacteria, but I wouldn't put blighted tomato or potato vines into my compost. Not worth the possibly of spreading blight. Stay natural, David
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