Controlling weeds in compost heap

Image: Brand X Pictures/Home and Garden/Alison Miksch

I have a rental property with a compost. The tenants have been putting weeds with seeds in it for many years, and bindweed grows over the top of the compost.

In an effort to revamp the garden now, I am tempted to use the apparently beautiful soil from the bottom of this compost, but I'm concerned about spreading weed seeds. I did take out some of the soil and put it in a bare area of the garden. Left unplanted, it sprouted many weeds in two months.

My questions:

Is there anything I can do to get rid of the weed seeds in this compost without using chemicals?
Would it be garden suicide to use this soil in a foundation planting or herbaceous border?
If I obtained soil from a commercial source for these two areas, what kind of soil should I order?

Conway Lum, Plant problem and pest expert

Here are some suggestions for you:

Try soil solarization to reduce the weed-seed content in your compost soil. Spread about a 30 cm (1 ft.) of compost over surface. Make sure the compost is moist. Cover the soil with a clear poly, making sure the sides are tucked in. This whole process should take place during the height of summer (late July) over a period of about four to six weeks. We are using the sun's rays to generate heat. This is an environmentally friendly method, assuming we get enough sun during the summertime!

Do not use soil contaminated with weed seeds.

When purchasing soil from commercial sources ask for references and follow up with them to verify weeds were not a problem.