How much compost should you apply to your garden this spring? (2024)

FAQs

How much compost should you apply to your garden this spring? ›

Take a soil test this spring before adding more compost

Spread 1–2 inches of compost on top of perennial and annual beds in the early spring or fall to prevent weeds from establishing and to make plants more drought-resistant.

Apply 1 to 2 1/2 inches of compost to surface and till well into the top 6 inches of soil. Then apply seed and rake into surface. To get a 5 percent mix of compost to soil, you use your measuring container and mix 19 containers of soil to one container of compost.

For new vegetable beds, add 3–4 inches of compost. For existing vegetable beds, add one-quarter to 1 inch of compost per year.

More commonly, soils that have received excess compost tend to be too basic (pH above 7). It is more difficult to acidify soil than to make it more basic, but there are a few things that growers can do: Stop adding compost to prevent the continual addition of cations (positively charged nutrients) to your soil.

Simply spread a thin layer of compost on top of the soil in empty beds in spring or autumn. Then allow the rain to wash the nutrients deep into the soil to your plants' roots. Heavy feeding plants and vegetables often benefit from a side dressing of compost during the growing season, too.

Gardening magazine's trial of the best soil mixture for raised beds found that a blend of 50% topsoil, 25% coarse sand and 25% compost was best.

Add water regularly (at least once per week) Add water slowly and for longer durations (e.g., drip irrigation) Install drip irrigation below the surface of the pile to protect the moisture against the drying effects of the sun. Add water during the cool hours of the day (e.g., in the evening)

While the results were undeniable, it is not necessary or even advisable to grow tomatoes in pure compost. First, you can derive the same benefits of compost without using all of it for growing plants. A little bit goes a long way. By volume, about 30% compost to the overall soil mix will be ideal.

Compost is one of the best garden amendments available. You can plant in straight compost, but I suggest incorporating it into your sandy garden soil or mixing it with other additives if you want to use it for container plantings.

What is the best compost for vegetable gardens? ›

Loam Based Compost

Loam-based compost is a combination of soil, sand, and clay that has been decomposed and processed to create a deep, rich product that is ideal for growing vegetables. Loam-based compost can be purchased commercially or created at home using a simple composting bin.

Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles. Step 5. Use the compost.

For vegetable or flower gardens: Apply 1 – 3 inches of compost and rototill or mix into existing soil. For fall garden cover crop: Spread 1 – 3 inches of compost and seed cover crop in the fall to protect exposed soil. Incorporate the cover crop into the soil and proceed with gardening as usual.

If you're using bagged compost, add in layers about 1 to 2 inches thick in early spring. Now (early March) is a great time. Dig in lightly with a bow rake, and leave the compost to rest a week or two before you plant seeds or starts.

High Salinity (Salts) — High salinity may be the most frequent cause of compost problems. Plants obtain nutrients from soils in the form of dissolved salts, but too high of a concentration injures plant roots. Symptoms of salt damage include rapid wilting of the plant and yellowing of leaves.

Order 200 pounds per 1,000 square feet of the garden when thin layers are required, and 400 pounds for deeper layers. The bare minimum of the recommended compost application is 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

You should add compost anytime in your garden, whenever it needs it. You should never use chemical fertilizer. Your compost is a slow release fertilizer. Look at your garden to see when to add it, not the calendar.

Compost is one of the best garden amendments available. You can plant in straight compost, but I suggest incorporating it into your sandy garden soil or mixing it with other additives if you want to use it for container plantings.

The final step is easy. Just add six inches of cured compost to the entire area of the bed and you're ready to plant. It's that easy, but I've added some help for some of the finer points below.