Carob Pods

I have an abundance of ripe carob pods at the moment. Will they be beneficial or detrimental to my composting materials? According to Rodale's Composting Guide cocoa pods are great but I'm not sure if carob has similar properties. Thanks for any advice.

Mary

[Mary, wringing her hands]

No one knows *anything* about carob pods as compost fodder???? Dang it all! I'm trying them as mulch for now until I find a definitive answer. Thought I'd try bumping this back up for a bit.

I don't know what a Carob is.
Experimentation is the way to go.

(After a little reading)
It is probably wonderful, really. Ceratonia seliqua. A legume. Having living roots in the ground is good for your soil, too. I'll bet that it is a relatively slow-decomposition mulch that, as a fruit structure, is very rich in nutrients. Similar to the Honeylocust pods we have here that litter some yards in summer.
Keep us "posted"
K. James

I couldn't convince you to send me some seed, could I? Check my tradelists. If that doesn't appeal, I can mail you with the next group of plants to trade.

Kenton, In order to address your comment of not knowing what a carob is, I Googled it and probably answered my own question. Funny how that works. It seems rich in nitrogen and protein. I think the biggest drawback is the hardness of the pod. I would need a way to grind it up before adding it to the compost bin. I think I will continue to use it as mulch instead. I'm interested to see how long a pod takes to break down.

One of the sources I located said that it is similar to the Honeylocust you mentioned above.

The tree in our yard is about 30-years old and is probably 50 feet tall. It's a wonderfully dense shade tree for our desert environment.

Thanks for your comments.

Kenton, no need to trade. I'll happily send you some. Dmail me your address and I'll send some off this week.

Mary

Send me some so I can shred them Yaaaaaa Haaaaaaaa Haaaaaa. I have no more bodies to shred all my neighbors are gone. Yaaaaa Haaaaaaa Haaaaaaaa! I want your carob yah your carob yah your ...........

Scarab.

Speaking of Abs my wife made the comment that my six pack is no longer visible on my belly. Well I told her that I no longer like my beer warm and have put them in a Cooler. HAHA

Classy.

Funny guy. Carob pods as mulch seem to be a great idea. No shred material from me, sorrry. Maybe some new neighbors will move in soon. ;-)