Troubleshooting a Moist Compost Heap
March 22, 2020
As the days grow longer and warmer, gardeners are preparing their spaces for the spring planting season. However, over-wintered compost can sometimes become a soggy and dense mess, making it less than ideal for nurturing new growth. In this article, we'll discuss simple measures to restore over-wintered compost, ensuring a nutrient-rich medium for your spring plants.
To revitalise your compost, follow these key steps:
- Clear out debris and old mulch from the compost or garden bed surface. This exposes the compost to air and light, stimulating microbial activity and promoting a healthier environment.
- Loosen and aerate the compost gently with a garden fork or hand tool. This helps break up compaction, improves drainage, and ensures better oxygen flow for roots and soil microbes.
- Add fresh organic matter such as compost, aged manure, or leaf mold in a 2–3 inch layer. This boosts nutrients and replenishes beneficial microbes that may have declined over winter.
- Mix the new material into the top layers of the compost or soil (about 6–12 inches deep) to increase nutrient availability for spring planting.
- Optional: Perform a soil test and adjust pH or nutrient levels with amendments like lime, bone meal, or greensand to optimise soil chemistry for plant growth.
- After planting, apply mulch over the compost or soil surface to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature through the spring growing season.
Additional tips include applying compost in the evening before a light rain for best nutrient absorption, and avoiding application when the ground is frozen or during hot, dry midday hours.
Composting Worms, such as European Nightcrawlers, can also be a beneficial addition to composting systems. Various composters, including the EZ Compost Wizard Jr. 7 Cubic Foot Compost Tumbler, Worm Factory 360 Composter, and the Aerobin 200 Insulated Composter, are available to aid in the composting process. Coconut Coir can also be used as a possible composting material.
Greg Seaman, a seasoned gardening expert, wrote this article to help gardeners transform tired overwintered compost into a rejuvenated, fertile growing environment ready for spring planting. With these steps, you can ensure a thriving garden this season.
Embrace sustainable living by adopting a home-and-garden lifestyle that includes revitalizing your over-wintered compost for a nutrient-rich medium suitable for your spring plants. Follow Greg Seaman's outlined steps to create an optimal composting environment by clearing debris, aerating, adding fresh organic matter, mixing, and adjusting pH or nutrient levels as needed, then follow with a mulch application.
