Compost, how to use

Not only does compost help the environment, but it can help your garden, yard, and house plants too. When compost looks like soil and smells sweet and earthy, it is ready to use. Here are some of the most common ways to use compost.

In the Garden
Before planting, mix a 4" to 8" layer of compost into newly reclaimed or poor soils. Mix a 1/2" to 3" layer of compost into annual garden beds at least once a year. Compost will add nutrients and beneficial microbes, hold water, and improve plant growth.

Around the Yard
Spread a 1" to 6" layer of coarse compost on soil as a mulch, or spread a 1/2" layer of sifted, weed-seed-free compost on turfgrass as a top dressing. These can be done any time of the year to improve soil fertility and reduce watering needs.

On House Plants
Sprinkle a thin layer of compost over house plant soil to provide nutrients. You can also make a great potting soil by mixing one part compost with two parts sand and/or soil.

Don't Have a Garden?
You can still make compost and use it on a house plant, give it to a friend, sprinkle it around a street tree, or donate it to a community garden.

Compost Tea
Now that you have a completed pile of compost, it’s Tea Time! Not for you, but for your plants. Place one shovel full of completed compost in a burlap bag or old pillow case, tie it with a string, then sink it into a 5 gallon bucket of fresh water. Let the tea steep for 24 hours and remove bag of compost for later use in the soil. Apply ‘tea’ to plants like a regular watering application. The tea will not burn the leaves and provides a nutritious drink for your houseplants or outside ornamentals.