Re: Compost? How much is enough?

Marv in Altoona PA
    The condition of your garden, the time of year, & the condition & type of
compost; all are determining factors in what amounts of compost to add to your
soil. I started with rock hard clay, for the gardens on one farm. In my opinion,
straight, compacted, red clay is not very conducive to growing fine plants, & is
an absolute killer in a drought. To make things worse, we had limestone soil, with
lots of large stones. I dug the beds up, removing some rocks as big as some of the
List's larger pumpkins.
    I took all the soil, for about a 1 ft depth & put it through an M-10 soil
shredder. (now, remember, there were no soil amendments at all) Then I mixed it,
50% with 10% peat moss, 20% sand,  & 20% aged horse manure. These were mixed
thoroughly, & replaced into the gardens, which would be planted in the spring..
    Then, for the winter, I topped them with horse manure, old hay, straw, & even
some sawdust, &, of course, the inevitable wood ashes. I left this for the winter.
By spring the compost on top had reduced to a couple of inches, which was tilled
into the soil, before planting. The point is, with no soil amendments & a
compacted soil, with rocks; I would have been gardening in concrete.
    By doing all that I did, before winter; my gardens, in spring, would have a
much lighter soil, & could utilize whatever was left of nutrients from the
compost. The stuff already in the soil would have, at least by late spring,
enticed & fed multitudes of earthworms, & their "castings" certainly enriched the
soil tremendously. The additional compost, plus what was already in the soil, were
not intended as much for spring nutrition, as to help condition & improve the
texture of the soil. I was trying to prep for drought, by increasing the water
holding ability of the soil. etc.  The garden was a tremendous success. It still
had to be mulched, for drought, but it "bloomed like a banshee".
    You probably know the following, but for those who don't: I add sand to the
soil, because it helps the roots to spread more easily, as well as promoting
drainage.. I add peat moss (only add it wet) to help with water retention. I add
aged horse manure, because it is very good fertilizer, but not as high in nitrogen
as cow manure, & won't burn the plants if it is greener than I thought. The manure
& compost are also excellent worm food, encouraging "natures fertilizer spreaders"
(earth worms) to visit & spread their castings. The castings are some of the best
fertilizer in the world.
    Sand is excellent to encourage root growth. Many daylily growers place newly
arrived cultivars (bare rooted, that is) into troughs of damp sand for 2-4 weeks,
to encourage root development. As long as there is proper drainage, this works
very well. For most root plants (radish, carrots, turnips, potatoes, onions,
etc.,), it is recommended to mix some sand in the soil, because it lessens the
difficulty of sending down & developing roots.
    Going back to compost, please remember, it isn't just for fertilizer. It is
also for soil improvement. Also remember, even the best soil dries out during a
drought. MULCH, MULCH, MULCH.
    I do not know if this would produce world record size pumpkins, but I would
think it would help stress the plant less, enabling it to grow more, & I think
that's what we are about, here.
    It would be your call as to how much compost you put on your soil. If there is
not much loam in it, I would be tempted to go with more compost rather than less.
Especially now, when it will have time to rot down, & get any heating up over
with. By spring, the garden will be fine for pumpkins or anything else. The heat
will be gone, & the soil will be conditioned & ready. Then, I would go ahead & add
whatever aged compost, or other substances, as directed for use as mainly
fertilizer.
 I hope this is of help.
TerryLynn
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