Compost and amending soil can seem tricky and intimidating if you’re not sure where to start. It’s actually a simple process that will give you great results in your garden and better nutrition in your harvest. We’re breaking it down for you and explaining why we recommend {or don’t recommend!} different products and processes. Let’s get started!
Amending Soil–What is it, Why and How Often?
Amending soil means adding organic matter to your garden in order to give back the nutrition your fruits & veggies took from it last year to grow your healthy, beautiful plants. Without soil amendments, your garden could be deficient in different nutrients necessary to grow healthy plants and yield a strong harvest. You should amend your soil every year by placing a 2-3″ layer of compost over your garden beds.
Why Compost?
Also called Gardener’s Gold or Black Gold, compost is both partially decomposed organic matter {mostly plants and the manure of plant-eating animals} and the microbes that do the decomposing. Because it is made up primarily of plant matter, compost contains the right proportion of the elements needed for plant growth. Compost does many things for your soil, including:
- Provides Nutrition It’s the source of all basic nutrition for plants.
- Improves Soil Structure It separates soil particles and creates aeration, and nurtures the organisms that build and maintain it.
- Increases the Ability of Soil to Retain Water Compost can hold up to 6 times its weight in water.
- Contributes to the Health of Plants May help prevent some diseases and promotes plant growth.
- Moderates Soil pH Most compost is already the ideal pH for optimal plant growth, and will help moderate the pH level in the soil.
- Feeds Soil Organisms Compost is the food source for many, many organisms whose activities greatly improve soil structure, increase aeration and water retention, and make it easier for plant roots to grow. Compost feeds not only worms, but also soil bacteria and fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and more. (The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 142)
Bumper Crop
Not everyone can compost because of space, time, location, or other reasons. You can still amend your soil even if you don’t save your kitchen scraps and lawn clippings! Our favorite soil amendment is Bumper Crop, a compost with an organic fertilizer, mycorrhizae (a beneficial bacteria that supports stronger root systems), worm castings (lots of plant-ready nutrients), and kelp meal (filled with micro-nutrients). This is what we use in our own gardens, and recommend to our customers.
Click NEXT to find out why you might NOT want to till your garden!
Images courtesy of winnod and posterize at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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