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Growing in Compost

crazy8

crazy8

So I got a nice big 1yrd. worth of compost last weekend and was so excited I forgot to get black dirt also. Well I got to thinking, is it OK to grow in JUST compost? After all that's where the nutrients will come from, there is plenty of space and "looseness" in the soil for roots to grow and spread. I brought this matter up to my dad who has gardened for years and neither of us could come up with a reason why it couldn't or shouldn't be done. After all I see black dirt as more of a medium to help hold seeds and give some stability to the plant as it grows. Other than that is seems starting seeds and growing in 80%-85% decomposed compost would be fine. If anyone has any thoughts on this please share. Im thinking about planting the cool weather seeds (cucumbers, lettuce, peas, etc.) this weekend.

Thanks for all the help
 
I have done it with out a problem... i just got back with a trailer load of aged horse manure and beddings, gonna be some goot stuff, but it's been so dry it's like a rock now and will need a lil work.
 
it depends on how "composted" your compost is...if it is "green" (meaning not aged), it may be too "hot" for your plants and burn them up...
 
I got a couple yards compost from a 'good' garden center to fill my new beds. They were pretty adamant about mixing it with topsoil. They advised 1/3 compost to the existing soil. It looks pretty black and well broken down, but when you don't make your own, hard to say.

I made one bin of my own with mostly leaves. That stuff is like gold and I would plant straight into that no question. But I spread it around like the other. Seems like I'm always behind the curve getting enough organic material into the soil.

Good luck on your decision.... :cool:
 
The earth in my neighborhood is damnably hard dark red clay which is impossible to till, so folks in around here just build compost beds on top of the ground. I just built a 12-inch deep tomato bed out of pure Miracle Grow garden soil, topped by a 3- inch layer of shredded hardwood mulch. I worked in 2 tablespoons of Osmocote 14-14-14 at the base of each plant, then watered in with liquid Miracle Grow. I know that sounds like a "hot" bed, but the plants are loving it so far.
 
Well, its one thing to grow in 100% garden soil or potting mix, but entirely another thing to go in pure compost, IMO.
 
Yea, part of the problem is there is no way to tell really what you got when somebody says 'compost.' It could be heavy with manures not completely broken down, especially when you buy a truck load from a vendor.

One thing about Miracle Grow mixes (besides they get a lot of bad raps here) it does seem to be consistent. My guess is that it is mostly compost with quite a bit of peat moss mixed in.
 
I'd be worried about too much nitrogen, optimal drainage, proper pH, moisture control, and general looseness of soil. Best to ammend your soil with the usual goodies for best results IMO.
Are you growing in pots, or a garden?
 
Right now everything is in drinking cups and looking amazing but I will be transplanting into the garden where the compost is in about a week or so. I am kind of inquiring about the peppers but even more so starting seed in the compost. It doesn't look like there is any manure in it but there is a lot of twigs,leaves, grass, etc.
 
I definitely wouldn't start tender young seedlings in straight compost. You don't need nutrients that early, especially large amounts of nitrogen and you want as loose a soil as possible for new roots to develop easily.
If it was that easy, people wouldn't be spending all the time, effort, and money on good starting mixes.
 
I can't get starter mix or any decent potting mix (I live in Thailand). Through lack of choice and inexperience, a first time grower, I started 50 seeds in screened compost and mixed it with perlite 70/30. I have nothing to compare it with but I had a great germination rate and my seedlings look healthy. My compost was shop bought and I've had it for nearly a year so it's 100% decomposed. I guess I just got lucky with the PH and nitrogen levels.

Having said all that, I will be trying coco coir for the next batch for a comparison.
 
Hey Crazy8, do you have access to a tiller? You could just till it into your existing soil. Otherwise, I think adding some dirt would be good too. That compost doesn't have any manure it though. Just leaves and grass clippings and such.
 
Ezzer said:
I can't get starter mix or any decent potting mix (I live in Thailand). Through lack of choice and inexperience, a first time grower, I started 50 seeds in screened compost and mixed it with perlite 70/30. I have nothing to compare it with but I had a great germination rate and my seedlings look healthy. My compost was shop bought and I've had it for nearly a year so it's 100% decomposed. I guess I just got lucky with the PH and nitrogen levels.

Having said all that, I will be trying coco coir for the next batch for a comparison.
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If its 100% composted then its not really compost anymore but humus, which is great for ammending soil or seed starting but it doesn't contain the nutrients that you usually expect/want from compost. What you have is likely not actually 100% composted if you just bought it a year ago without letting it "work" further
 
I have raised beds, which I have added compost from garden center, peat moss and Espoma Garden Tone.
A lot of them have turned light green. I'm guessing this is from too much nitrogen. I hope it corrects itself
as time goes by.
 
POTAWIE said:
If its 100% composted then its not really compost anymore but humus, which is great for ammending soil or seed starting but it doesn't contain the nutrients that you usually expect/want from compost. What you have is likely not actually 100% composted if you just bought it a year ago without letting it "work" further
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So I have access to a few tons of horse manure that is pure black is that considered humus.
 
I try to grow all my peppers in pure compost. Works great. I grow in pure horse manure that has rotted down a bit also.

The only way to know is to put a plant into it and see if it grows or dies. You will know in a couple of days.

I will bet that you will be fine. commercial compost is sold cooled down and ready to use or people would get mad. Also the hot stuff is more valuable because it has more nutrients so they can "water" it down with junk like wood chips. That increases their profit.

I would just go ahead and plant one pepper into pure compost and expect it to work. do not use your best plant ever to experiment like this.

Next time instead of buying one cubic yard of compost you can probably get an entire truck load for the same price of pure horse manure. I get 30 yard trucks of horse manure for $100. That is about $3 a yard delivered. the manure is free. the trucking is the cost. I could pick it up for free but need a truck for 30 yards.

When you see weeds growing in the manure pile then you know it is time to plant veggies and peppers into the pile.
 
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