What to do with debris from water garden

I have had a small water garden for about 15 years and have loved it. However, due to illness last fall, it did not get cleaned as I always have done before winter.
It is now full of debris, mainly leaves from a sweet gum tree. The pond plants that I had in pots in the water are doing absolutely beautifully so the water must not be toxic to them but, boy, does it stink. I am getting ready to completely clean the pond but what can I do with what I dredge out? Can it be used on gardens or would it be toxic to other than aquatic plants? Can it be composted? Any help you can give me would be apprecaited.

I have got to clean mine this spring because I took the tarp off too soon this winter and leaves got in. I just pump the clean water off the top and get my fish and plants and put in a barrel with the water then clean the pond and throw the debri out on my plants or you could throw on compost pile. It has a lot of neutriants in it. I have done this for 27 years. BEV

I even use my aquarium indoor's water to water my house plants, sometimes that's all the nutrients the plants need to thrive.

Free plant food lol.
Works great, the plants love it.

Thank you for replying! Another question...can I use the "stuff" on a well established asparagus bed? The spears are just beginning to show through the ground. I've already put some on my raised vegetable garden to be turned under when I can get some "muscle" to help me. I'm looking forward to some great gardens this year!

I dont see why not, ive used it on veggies before. ^_^

Compost!

Last year when we moved in I found all kinds of accumulated muck at the bottom of the water garden.
I hard raked it out and put it at the base of a pitiful looking peach tree.

This Spring the peach tree bloomed like mad!
(full disclosure: I did have my spouse saw off any weak or wimply-looking limbs, so that may have played a role, too).

Pond 'waste'--especially algae and end-of-season debris makes delicious compost.

Teresa

Thank you all for your advice. I've started raking out the muck and putting it wherever I have a garden. We have quite sandy soil so the debris should make really good compost for the gardens. Thank you again for being so helpful!

Thank us when you are asking your nieghbours for their pond and aquarium sludge..LOL!