I grew a couple of dwarf tomatoes in earth box-type containers this year, and although almost all the leaves developed wilt, the fruit still ripened. I will trash the plants instead of composting them, but I was wondering about the several cubic feet of mix in the containers. Wilt, I understand, is caused by an infection from the soil so I will remove the mix and clean the containers, but can I use the discarded mix for growing other crops, or even just filling in some sunken spots in the lawn caused by burrowing animals? If not, how should I dispose of it?

Tomato wilt was found to be killed in a compost pile after 21 days at a minimum temperature of 149 degrees. That is a lot of days to be able to keep a compost pile that hot, but it can be done. Not sure it is worth the risk.
http://www.planetnatural.com/c...

There are lots of things that can cause "wilt" in tomatoes, but as long as the soil is not being used for related plants, like peppers, etc. I would think using it for the lawn would be fine.

The following might not be sufficient to erase soil-born pathogens that have established themseleves, but it sounds like a great idea for re-using soil that doesn't haveknown, severe problems.

CarolineScott sometimes re-uses potting mix. She described flushing it with good compost tea to displace old soil microbes and establish beneficial new ones. Great idea!

The thread "Rejuvenating soil in containers" in Containers forum

I am gardening in a cold climate, so our winters kill most soil pathogens.