The best compost for a vegetable garden
Compost is an organic matter that has undergone decomposition, turning into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. It is often used in vegetable gardens to improve soil quality and fertility. Compost contains a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and is loaded with beneficial bacteria and fungi. These are vital for healthy plant growth. Additionally, compost can help retain moisture in the soil, reduce erosion, and suppress plant diseases and pests. Composting also provides a sustainable method for managing organic waste, reducing waste in landfills.
What is the best compost for a vegetable garden?
Homemade organic compost
Creating your own compost can be a sustainable way of organic gardening. It’s probably the best compost for your vegetable garden if done correctly. Before you start building your first compost pile, consider the following factors:
Composting needs Space.
You can still create some organic compost if you have limited space or your garden is only on a patio or balcony. You can use a tumbler or any other compost bin for this purpose or do some bokashi composting. However, if you want great-quality compost in quantity, you need to build your composting area. It can be a fun DIY project. You can reuse pallets for this purpose or some old fencing, whatever fulfills your aesthetics. Usually, 40″ x 40″ x 40″ is the minimum compost pile size. However, you often want to use more piles to speed up the process (by turning them), which brings us to the next factor.
The composting process takes time.
Depending on the organic matter you put in your pile, composting can take up to a year, or even more in the case of woody materials like wood chips. You can speed up the process by aerating (turning) your compost often, adding more nitrogen-rich material, and sustaining a consistent moisture level.
Homemade compost can have weed seeds.
So you’ve just created your first compost and started using it in your vegetable garden, and here comes the surprise: your beds are full of weeds. It usually happens when you don’t heat your compost pile. To avoid this, you must regularly turn your compost piles which brings them to a specific temperature. This process kills all the seeds in the compost and dramatically speeds up the process.
You always need more compost.
Most of the time, you can only create so much compost in your vegetable garden. Having some is great, but sometimes you must source it elsewhere.
If you can eliminate these limiting factors, you should create your own compost. Follow these simple rules to have the best results. Your vegetable garden will love it.
According to Cornell Waste Management Institute, you need about a 1:30 nitrogen-carbon ratio of organic materials. However, this is not mandatory; you can use whatever you have in your garden, like food scraps, grass clippings, green waste, chicken manure, and animal manure. Anything that was once alive and not processed. The quality and speed of the finished compost can vary based on the organic material you put in, but no matter what, all these will break down into compost with time.
Keep your compost pile moist but not soggy. When you get a handful of your unfinished material, you should be able to squeeze it hard and get a few drops of water, but not more.
Often turn your piles. It’ll heat up if you can keep around the 1:30 nitrogen-carbon ratio and the optimal moisture level. You can turn it in once, every week or two. Based on the outside temperature and the material you put in, you should get your end compost this way in a few months.
- Chop your ingredients. If you chop the things you put in your pile into fine particles, it increases their surface area. This means they’ll decompose quicker, resulting in a more consistent texture.
- Cover when finished. Once your compost is finished and you have gardeners’ gold, remember that this is a living thing full of microbes and activity. Always cover it with cardboard, for example, to prevent direct sun and keep consistent moisture until you don’t use it in your garden.
If you don’t have the option to create organic compost, you can still buy bagged compost.
Which is the best bagged compost for a vegetable garden?
This list shows you 3 of the best organic compost products. They all bring a lot of fertility and only consist of organic material. Each has its advantages, but generally, you can apply them all to improve your vegetable garden’s soil structure.
Wakefield BioChar Premium Compost
Organic Materials Review Institute listed this as 100% organic compost. It’s created from untreated wood feedstock in the USA and has a vigorous bacteria and fungi population. Since it’s 100% organic compost, there won’t be any chemically treated material in it, so it’s safe for all types of vegetable gardens. Its moisture retrain capability is high, so applying a 2-3 inch thick layer on top of your garden soil can act as a mulch.
R&M Organics Premium Organic Compost
R&M organics is family owned and operated business creating high-quality compost. OMRI lists them as 100% organic. This compost is made of fully composted dairy manure. The product is naturally rich in all essential nutrients, so it’s fantastic to boost your vegetable garden soil and amend it with all the goods it can provide. If you don’t like the product, there’s a three months refund policy.
Tom’s Compost
This certified organic compost is a premium product. It’s made of organic chicken manure, biochar, organic grasses, and residue from organic crop production. This compost is rich in microorganisms and organic matter, which is critical for vegetable gardens.
Animal manure
If you compost animal manure, you will get animal manure compost. Simple 🙂 Most often, it is from cows or horses, or chickens. It’s been used for centuries by gardeners. It can help improve soil structure and is naturally rich in essential nutrients. The high nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus content can help amend your soil.
One downside of animal manure is that it can contain a lot of weed seeds since those animals feed them. You need to heat your pile to avoid this.
You have to be cautious with animal manure. It can burn your plants if it’s not fully composted. You can tell if it’s ready by smell. When fully finished, it should smell fresh and earthy but not stinky.
Creating your own compost from it can be a good idea if you can access this material for free locally.
Mushroom compost
Mushroom compost is the byproduct of mushroom farming. There’s usually a substrate that farmers grow mushrooms in. This substrate is typically a mixture of straw, hay, and poultry litter inoculated with mushroom spores. After the mushroom harvesting, the remaining material is pasteurized and sold as compost. This material is nutrient-dense and can be used as a soil amendment.
Mushroom compost is typically around 7.5 – 8.5 PH. This can benefit plants that prefer alkaline soils, such as tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage. It might not be the best choice for acidic soil-loving plants like blueberries.
Mushroom compost is often used as a top dressing in vegetable gardens. Using too much of it in your vegetable garden can lead to high salt levels and potential plant damage. In smaller quantities, it’s an excellent amendment.
Worm Castings (Vermicompost)
Worm castings, or vermicompost, are a type of compost produced by worms. During the composting procedure, they feed organic material to worms. The result is black, crumbly material. It’s full of nutrients and life.
Vermicompost is so nutrient-dense it’s usually rater used as an organic fertilizer or amendment instead of soil to plant directly in. However, it can’t be over-applied since it’s gone through the worm’s digestive system and is 100% broken down. There’s no risk of burning plants with it.
Worm castings can decrease the chance of pests and diseases for plants. The active life it provides creates a symbiotic relationship with plants roots. This means plants can access more minerals from the soil, meaning they are more potent against diseases and pests.
There are ways for the home gardener to create this product, or you can buy a bagged version.
What to Look Out for When Buying Compost?
Organic Certification: Look for compost that is certified organic. Organic compost is produced using only organic matter and methods, without synthetic fertilizers or harmful chemicals.
Texture: Check the texture of the compost. It should be crumbly and moist, with a pleasant earthy smell. Avoid compost that is clumpy, soggy, or smells bad.
Maturity: Make sure that the compost is mature and fully decomposed. Immature compost can contain harmful pathogens and may not provide adequate nutrients to plants.
Nutrient Content: Check the nutrient content of the compost. Look for compost with a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ratio.
Price: Compare different compost prices to ensure you get a fair deal. However, remember that the cheapest option may not always be the best quality.
I hope this guide helped you choose the best compost for your vegetable garden. You should always try to look around locally before buying bagged products.
