The Problem with TOO MUCH Compost

Today we go over the results of the five-bed compost trial - • You Might Be Using TOO... . Which bed did the best? Why did that one do the best? Is too much compost a problem? It might be because compost and soil aren't the same things.
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[@nas8318]

I agree with much of what you said but I want to see this test made with good compost. What you used is basically mulch, or soil conditioner at best, it might actually be sucking nutrients out of its surroundings as it continues to decompose.

[@brandonstahl3562]

Yup, composted wood chips are better used as mulch. it's definitely not compost.

[@toddmain]

I get the point, particularly about balancing compost and soil so that you have the right mix of minerals, nutrients, and beneficial life. However, please repeat this experiment with a better compost, ideally homemade compost with a good mix of "brown" and "green" material. I realize that by using bagged compost you get consistency, but I assume you can get some bulk compost delivered, from a source that uses a more "traditional" blend of ingredients. A lot of the bagged stuff has been sterilized. An advantage of the locally-sourced bulk compost is that it's more likely to have a decent blend of bacteria and fungi.

[@mikaellindqvist5599]

If you have sand, clay, silth rocks or pebbles in your soil and who doesnt you have all the nutrients, what your lacking is the biology to make it available to your plants. Studies been made long time ago, there is no soil on this planet lacking the nutrients.

[@patrickmeyer9419]

I grow in 100% compost in all 8 of my raised beds. I started this way. In ground works fine too. But pure compost should never burn.

[@errymo]

@@patrickmeyer9419 J'agree

[@davidhalfaday844]

Diego, I really like what you had to say at the end of this video, about putting yourself out there, and don’t be afraid of making some mistakes. I personally need to be more like that.

[@vonries]

I was going to say the bed with more compost at least an inch or two would be better until I saw the compost you were using. As soon as I saw it was Kellogg I said to myself the least amount added most likely, but even that was to much, lol. I love it. Kellogg's compost is really mulch.

[@cchurch5037]

Had parsley self seed a few years back ... was horrified at first because it returned with a vengeance .... but now those massive deep roots and huge solar panels seem to have massively improved those beds ... effectively a free cold season cover that’s edible and improving my soil - inattention for the win !🤙🤣

[@TheMillionDollarDropout]

Lmao wait… your yard got full of parsley or what?

[@tommymckiddy7872]

It might be an interesting experiment to leave those beds alone for a year and try the experiment again.

[@richards5110]

GREAT video! I've been very confident with my half-inch layer of compost + cover cropping without any real evidence as to *why* I should be confident, and now I have some well thought out backup! Like other commenters I do like adding in the fall (I have an off season) in conjunction with my winter cover crops. Gives it time to mellow out and integrate into my soil.

[@georgemcnally4473]

An interesting experiment, but I think it needs to be repeated in various soil types. My own soil in Norfolk, UK is virtually sand and gets depleted very quickly. As ever, I think one learns to be a good gardener (if you are paying attention) in the conditions that you garden in. Many lessons, however, do not readily transplant into different environments and conditions.

[@brankobiber2881]

Experiment just proved it was a very shity compost with no availible nitrogen. I can grow everything in pots in my home made compost. And only compost nothing else. Sometimes I add a little bit of river sand just to have better drainage. I can grow seedlings and also huge plants. Of course I tried growing just in soil and also in soil amended with compost... Pure compost with one third of sand gives best results every time.

[@The_True_]

The Kellogg's amend looks like what I would use for top dressing, and pull away to plant in the soil beneath. Moisture retention is nice in that type of compost, but I wouldn't plant into it. Nice breakdown DF.

[@richstone2627]

Thanks for the update. Interesting results.

[@positiveoutcome5797]

I’m a beginner at gardening and dug about 3 - 4 feet deep lol and added compost of all kinds from food, brown leave’s, branches, green leaves, sand, and homemade compost dirt and everything is looking beautiful! I’m a beginner lol. All this is an experiment.

[@TheLazyGardenerNJ]

You should try this with homemade compost. I tried kellogg's once and found it to be crap. My plants did terrible in it and I would never buy it again.

[@julesl6910]

I have found that kellogs amend does not amend soil, even in the long run somehow. It just is terrible. Better to collect leaves and clippings and mix them into sandy or other soils. Or if you buy it for nutrition, just use fertilizer. As our hydroponic friends know, you can grow more productive plants in inert mediums or water with just the right ingredients.

[@ashtreylil1]

I agree with this. I don't know why but store bought compost is nothing compared to making it yourself with grass and leaves and scraps.

[@Lochness19]

I was gonna say... that compost looks more like mulch. AKA the stuff you use to stop plants from growing on your paths and under your trees. Think about that for a second...

[@thatlibertygal]

I bought Kellogg’s raised bed “soil” and found it to be mostly wood pieces. My garden isnt doing super well. Anything I can do to help my beds this year? I’m a super noob.

[@TheLazyGardenerNJ]

@@thatlibertygal lots of organic matter. Buy bagged manure of you have to

[@johndeggendorf7826]

Hey, Diego...this was incredibly informative. You are both educator & coach. I’m inspired...

[@demesrvl6761]

Agree that in about a year, with good rain, the beds with more compost will be great. Also, here in Texas I learned the value of about 5-10% expanded shale when gardening in black clay. Beds to which I added shale 10 years ago, and have only mulched & planted since, are beautiful, perfectly friable and moist (in the spring & fall) 6-8" deep

[@MaxCBear]

I was so excited for the results of this test. It’s interesting that 1 and 4 did the best. I would have expected the results to be more linear. I just started building soil in March, but it’s already got lots of fungal growth. I have been attributing it to our compost/vermicompost tea that we’ve been making and applying. Maybe the benefit of that is that it’s in liquid form and can permeate the soil to greater depths. There’s no question that the harvests have been prolific and abundant. Thank you for contributing this video for the benefit of us all.

[@akobenkwatakye2454]

Love the approach, I knew when I seen the different piles this was going to be good

[@2ndSprings]

Thanks for encouraging us to learn!

[@SlackerU]

I did this experiment with a fig tree. The copy with compost & part shade did the worst, the one with compost & full sun did the best, & the one in full sun but no compost did average. At times the added compost would heat up the soil by almost 10 degrees in comparison to surrounding soils.

[@GoneBattyBats]

You offer allot of great insight and material to contemplate. For instance, This year, I brought in allot od compost. Layered it on and planted as close to the original soil as possible but... I noticed many plants only began to take off when their roots penetrated deeper into the soil below. That is where the moisture and minerals are. Also, There is so much discussion about no dig or no till gardening but... It can create that separation between the compost and mulch layers above the originals soil and sometime needs to be opened up with a digging fork, or a broad fork to let the blending of the layers begin. IF machinery is available for the initial garden layout, doing several tills to open up the soil and till in amendments such as compost and minerals. Soil Testing is not cheap but perhaps we could do a better job adding amendments IF we know what we are already starting with. In closing, the No Till approach is a great way yo start new beds, just layer on the cardboard or paper, then compost and then mulch. But before the next season... get in there and crack that barrier open, Keep up the great work, W

[@danjackson2987]

Maybe the best video I’ve seen about soil vs compost. Thank you!!!!

[@dennishopp4696]

Thanks, watched this about a month ago and have been thinking about my problem. I think you nailed it. I added compost that wasn't completely done and had terrible results. From now on I will add it in the Fall, like right now. I know my problem was also HOW much time I put into Gardening, Thanks again, and if you could do a test on adding in the fall vs in the spring. I would like your opinion.

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Great lecture! You made a lot of excellent points.

[@caradirisi4869]

Omg-The spaghetti example-perfect-so true.Made me hit subscribe.This is why I’m making mound gardens and moving them every few years with companion planting.Most soil in bags isn’t even soil and beginners get frustrated when they spend so much money on plants then use the crap soil and the plants cant even drink the water.Thank you for this video.

[@SecrePeach]

Oh my gosh, as a newbie to gardening and having started my very first beds in lockdown I went for a ‘no dig’ approach and dumped compost onto cardboard covered mossy grass. I also had an area that had been covered by weed suppressant and gravel for 5yrs. I added blood fish and bones to the compost and went for it. Despite liquid feeding every week once fruiting I couldn’t understand why although my plants got off to a great start and always looked pretty healthy they weren’t as tall as other people’s plants, they didn’t bulb up as quickly or as well and they fruited much later than others. Here in Cornwall UK we’ve had weeks of hot dry weather, unusually strong gale force winds, torrential rain and humidity so it’s been tough but..... talk about a baptism of fire! Now at the end of my first season I’ve had some successes, some epic fails but overall despite the shear volume of seeds and potting on I did I have to say I thought we’d be eating like kings but that wasn’t the case. I’m totally inexperienced but I was beginning to think my soil must be the problem but looking on line nobody seems to mention the soil they start with. I’m so glad I watched your experiment so I at least can see my results are not all my fault, it has boosted my confidence and spurred me on to keep trying. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

It sounds like they were slightly nitrogen stressed. If you just put down the cardboard on fresh grass, it was probably leaching nitrogen while it decomposed. It will return that in spades, but fibrous material like grass and cardboard take a lot of nitrogen to break down. Those beds should do better in the future. Potentially a lot better, depending on your specific circumstances.

[@SecrePeach]

Thanks John that’s a great help. I’m also on a particularly heavy clay soil and when I took som plants out I noticed the roots were struggling to get through compacted clay so took the decision to dig it over down to about 18” and mix manure and b/f/bone right through. It did help a bit but I still had the same problem. My beetroot for example was planted in the beginning of March. Always seemed healthy and we did have a small amount through the summer but most was still in the ground in October and still only a large golf ball size. I’m still totally confused how I’ve managed to help my friend get started on line and she has had much better harvests than me 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@peterjohn8625]

I used to dig out my clay soil when planting a new plant and replaced it with a fresh sand,soil,compost mix. Fast forward a few years and now instead of replacing the clay soil with my mix, I blend it in with it.

[@SirColly1]

Just stumbled across your content. Really enjoyed the video and looking forward to watching more 👍🏻

[@wingrider1004]

I once thought that compost...I make my own... was the answer to everything. I now mix it with my clay areas as an amendment and it works very well. I too discovered that I got weak growth with plants that were in heavy compost.

[@rickadis4609]

Conpost is amazing, time is the ingredient that compost needs most to create a healthy biomass

[@phifediggy9659]

I think it's best just to mulch the surface of the soil with compost, maybe an inch or 2. It gets the plants off to a good start, then once the roots hit the soil they really take off in the height of summer, with the abundance of trace minerals they need, provided you have good soil

[@420_9R8R]

Greatest breakdown of this subject I've seen. Thanks Brother!!

[@nancywebb6549]

Last year I planted corn in one bed. Instead of pulling the stalks out after picking the corn, I cut it of at ground level and planted field peas. After picking peas I cut them off at ground level and planted a mixed cover crop of ten different plants. I will cut them down and leave them and plant through them. It will be interesting to see the crop results.

[@FrikInCasualMode]

This year i did the same with tomatos and cucumbers. I have very light, powdery soil - so i want to see if leftover roots will make a difference in the amount of organic matter in the soil.

[@carolynsteele5116]

What I learn from Diego’s experiment and the comments is that the term “compost” can mean many different things. Perhaps a good experiment would be testing the results of planting using different types of compost.

[@toastiesburned9929]

My compost has lots of strawberry caps and leafy greens and asparagus ends. Too much carbon in your compost. It should be a gradient with deeper soil having more worm castings and actual dirt, mid layer a good mix of dirt and compost and then more compost at the top, top it off with light mulch like straw. Grow cover crops in off seasons to replenish the soil and become compost itself

[@crissalda1306]

@@toastiesburned9929 Yes and as gardeners we must recognize that most plants do not grow well in pure organic matter or high organic matter soil. The agricultural departments in my area recommend soils to have a 1% to a 6% organic matter in them as too much organic matter can cause root rot .

[@honeytubs]

​@@crissalda1306 the flowers in pots on my patio grow in 100% organic matter. They are doing great.

[@michalamuggiernst464]

So glad to watch this, I have been mix a lot of clay in my compose, to stretch it. I was fearing I had taken it to far, but my intuition was right, it would work out. 😅😅🤞🏻🙌🏻

[@zuhairzainal]

been following your videos for 2 months now and man how you've enlightened me on A LOT of subjects on making and using compost. Can't thank you enough. Sunny regards from Malaysia

[@rezatorabi7158]

Nice job ! I totally agree with the results of your experiment. I have had the same results too. the fact is not only compost but also any kind of organic matter would have the same result. and the reason is the bonding effect it has on the nutrients in the soil and the plant would be deprived of nutrients.

[@bill5086]

Great approach to learning. I enjoy your wisdom, Diego.

[@nathanlau3275]

I think you are right that it depends on the soil you're working with. If you have soil already rich in organic matter, you don't need to add more. I think we have to look at what our soil composition is and add what is needed to achieve the desired ratio of organic to inorganic components.

[@tonysu8860]

No, I disagree. Only the likelihood that the base topsoil that is being used is probably decent saved part of the experiment and skewed the results. In fact, if the objective was really to measure the effectiveness of compost either as an amendment or as a replacement, the experiment should probably have been run on a top soil of pure sand to remove the variability of the top soil effect. My prediction is that if the experiment was done with sand, that all 4 plots would fail because the compost quality in this experiment is no good.

[@brankobiber2881]

​@@tonysu8860 I would agree with you sir. It was a poor compost. You can grow things in pots with pure compost. Homemade high quality compost and have great results. Much better results than with heavy clay soil.

[@benthere8051]

My experience this year equals bed #5 almost exactly. My only good producer was the Asian yard-long bean, and they were spectacular. I think next year will be great for everything else. I also just found a great source of rabbit manure and brought home 100 pounds this weekend.

[@annburge291]

Really interesting. I have very little access to compost in the desert. We mix what we have with water, aerated it, water the dirt with it and cover the soil with cardboard and sawdust to reduce evaporation. There is no way we can do a Charles Dowding style garden. We depend on nitrogen fixing trees to fix up the soil.

[@phildizzle88]

Interesting video and test. Thanks for sharing! Would love to see the exact same test, with each bed mulched with a batch of fresh and/or actively composting wood chips. Thinking about the Paul Gouchi method...

[@kirklarson116]

I had sandy soil. I added a bunch of compost when we first moved here to start building the soil. Now, 5 years later I am planting winter rye cover crops and am not pulling my garden plants (other than root plants) but am cutting them at the surface and leaving the roots. I add pine shavings after planting to keep weeding to a minimum and just leave them in the beds to decay. I have added worms and took up vermiculture last year and will use that soil in a couple beds to test it out. Experimenting with this is fun.

[@planetmoving9180]

In his no till market garden book, Jessie Frost distinguishes 5 types of compost.

[@ovenbird50]

When I make my own compost, I innocuolate layers of the compost with soil or finished compost, or items in the finished compost that did not go through the screen. I only amend soil with finished compost. When adding mulch or unfinished compost, you must water very well to saturate the top layer and let moisture reach the underlying soil.

[@oftenwrongphong]

Did a few cubic yards of potting mix mostly compost (about 80%). Most plants not happy, and the top 4-6 inches dry out quick because the mix couldn't hold water. So I had to water almost daily (I hate wasting water, but hate wilting leaves more). Will add peat moss.

[@jamesmabe6224]

Very good advice. I never thought about the types of bacteria at the early stages of composting not being so good for the plants so be sure your compost has had plenty of time to work. 😊

[@nirfeder2744]

Hi Diego (My name is Nir and I am from Israel so sorry my English) the idea behind planting medium is to find a material that on the one hand can absorb large amounts of water and on the other hand drain excess water well and even leave the planting medium airy and allow microorganisms to grow in it. Compost is simply a readily available growing medium and usually cheaper than growing media such as Coconut fiber that are used as a growth medium for hydroponic crops. In the process of preparing the compost, the micro-organisms that help break down the plant material consume most of the nutrients that were in the plant material, so compost is found to be very low in nutrients. The compost must be enriched with nutrients that can be from animals manure. In intensive agriculture, chemical-based fertilizers are used. Therefore, the advantage of a thick layer of compost is in maintaining optimal humidity of the growing medium. (of course required to enrich the compost with fertilizer) Thanks for all the interesting videos you make Nir

[@ahthernandez7372]

I followed your experiment!!! Excellent!!! Wao!!! Incredible results!! I love experiments like these!! Thanks

[@anthonyneitzke2521]

In plot one the plants would have access to a lot more mycorrhizal fungi than the other plots, it would be interesting to see the results of years 2 3 and 4 after the layers have mixed a bit and it's had an opportunity for the fungi to enter

[@dirtdiggerjerry]

Thanks Diego! Great content!

[@joompah7]

As a second season grower I appreciate this video very much. So many people preach nothing but compost and when I priced compost here versus a 3:1 mix (soil, compost and pray) compost is super expensive. Now I realize everyones growing zone and native soul are all different.... We have a more clay soil here in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and I was surprised at what just grew in place. My tomatoes did amazing without anything but woodchips on top to hold in moisture. My new hoophouse, I covered everything in cardboard and woodchips through winter. Due to covid and frozen soil it was hard to get much more than last year's bags. So I just dug a hole for each tomatoe plant and let them fight it out. I think I added a bit of fertilizer and eventually calcium towards end. But my point is let the plants tell you what they need.... Plus everyone that says compost COMPOST turns around adds piles of amendments.... So I love that you addressed the soil as a whole. Yrs top dress, broad or pitch fork, and amend as needed but the plants will make a away....

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

What I always do is keep a rotation of compost going all the time, but only add it in the off season, or when I'm not using a part of the garden. I also don't add it thick enough to cover the ground. I mulch, and that composts directly in, as well as chop and drop in the garden, but I don't pile a lot of finished compost on top of the ground. If I have a lot of compost left over, I sometimes bury it in the garden

[@rustic35]

If it's completed the compost cycle you can add it any time. My beds get top ups all year round. This video is mostly garbage, using garbage materials.

[@brandonstahl3562]

Some of my best spots had rotted logs buried in ground, amended soil on top, and mulched.

[@natureboy6410]

Hey Diego. No question about it, anything that I can add to our soil out here is a plus. My sons and I live in a mid high valley of the Mojave desert, 70 miles south of Vegas. Nothing out here but a few shades of grey, tan and black. Once the heat breaks a bit, we're going to take bits and pieces of a few systems to build a good foundation first. Core gardening, hugelkultur, lasagna lightly mixed into top few inches, heavy JADAM with several apps of JMS and JLF every 4 to 5 days. We're having to go natural with what very limited local resources that we can scratch up because of the way things have been. But, I have hundreds of seeds that I've saved over time, including over 1,500 moringa seeds. Providing things don't go FUBAR any time soon, I know, that's asking a lot, we'd like to get a good strong microclimate intense grow food forest going, not just for ourselves, but so we can pay it forward to the local community and nearby food banks. Gotta try to teach these young men something while I'm still kicking. ;-)

[@marct7905]

Nice video. I like your approach and effort.

[@amysnipes4245]

Diego, you are the compost King, so inspiring. Thank you!!!

[@davidsawyer1599]

7:34 Cooking with Diego! lol! However the point is made. Thanks Diego.

[@austinmesta9862]

I have heavy glacial clay soil and I'm in a high desert. I make my own slow no turn fungal dominant compost with lots of worms and millipedes living in it and I either put one cup of it in a hole and plant a seed in it or I plant in the clay and use .5 to 2 inches of my compost as mulch and innoculant. It works great. I also grow plants in it while it's composting. Works great. However, mine is not wood chip based. It's mostly made of weeds and bolted arugula and any browns I have laying around like fall leaves and old pine needles. I do innoculate the hell out of it at the start though, with spectrum, kombucha, bragg's vinegar, old compoat, and some soil from a garden bed.

[@sharonchew2144]

The Kellogg's looks more like mulch, not compost, and your test trial demonstrates this point. Try your test using good compost, perhaps the malibu, and see what happens. Successful no-till market gardeners like Josh Satin and Casey Ostwich at Honey Tree Farm use a couple of inches of compost on top of soil (with dry amendments) before planting with great results.

[@DiegoFooter]

Yes, I think you are correct. That being said I am not sure that the compost helps the present crop as much as it helps later crops.

[@mobypicks2435]

Yes, but Jesse from no-till growers uses a mulch type compost and does well. Not sure it maters as long as it is biologically active.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Hmmm, a lot of good points here that never occurred to me before. Thanks.

[@johnreeves3380]

My response? This citizen scientist says “deep” and Inspiring, thank you Diego. I especially latched onto your thoughts on a deep integrated approach including the value of roots we bring into our garden. Past years, plant harvests done and I pull them up including their roots, examining and noticing root health. This year I’m going to be much more apt to clipping oldplants at the surface and valuing old decaying roots left in place, kind of like Ma Nature does for us. Hopeful for a good learn. Appreciate you.

[@yeslife3998]

If you have ever seen cucumbers growing out of a compost pile then you know the compost you used was not quality compost. It was bark mulch. This was more misleading than helpful.

[@mourlyvold7655]

Would you care to clarify? I can't wrap my head around what you're actually saying... Peace.

[@NCharlesworth86]

@@mourlyvold7655 he's saying that the compost he used wasn't actually compost, it was just basically small raw un- broken down wood chip. He's saying there might have been a better result had the compost used been more "finished" like the Malibu compost he showed in the comparison shot

[@mourlyvold7655]

@@NCharlesworth86 Thank you.

[@michaelschwartz812]

I think he explained that in the beginning right after he compared the two.

[@j.l.thurman2725]

@@NCharlesworth86 I have a wood-chip heavy compost and it did not do well. Sadly pandemic is having an effect on me getting bulk better compost. My own compost piles are still in work. We've only been in our location for a year. This year I have collected sea weed to add to my one pile, the other pile is chicken/duck manure. I am working on getting a variety of minerals and whatnot into my composts. But still, wish we could get bulk cow or sheep.

[@mmm70]

Great experiment. I was rooting for 2.

[@johnliberty3647]

I grow in 100% compost so I figure maybe I need to watch this... Kinda shocked, I have the best gardens growing in 100% compost in a raised bed. Maybe its the way I compost. All my raised beds are built over a chicken run from the previous year. Even my Legumes did well which I was not expecting. My composts come in stages and it can take up to 18 months for the materials to make it through the process which includes having chickens scratch and break things down for up to a year before it goes into the 6 month compost pile. Who knows what lead to my success. Maybe the worm feeding stations in the worm beds allowed me to grow in 100% compost. I do not even add nutrients and I have robust growth and fruiting. Ok one admission I need to make, I did have to add Calcium because what I had intended to use the compost for (evergreen production) was shifted to growing vegetables.

[@shanegray1846]

We do the same for raised beds 100% compost and have amazing results. But it has to be already composted compost wood chip compost must be finished with a fungal process to stop it from sponging up all the nutrients and of coarse make it hydrophilic (i.e. a wet rotten log)

[@veganchiefwarrior6444]

compost is never finished, 99 percent of it turns to c02 and flys away, its the "tea" that is what fertilizes and conditions soil, it turns out the percent of organic matter in soil samples was actually live plant roots that got chopped up and mistaken for soil organic matter in analysis, if you are growing in straight compost, according to science, your heading for problems, though i know john kohler also grows in beds of pure compost, so im curious, i was taught by a soil scientist and second generation nursery man

[@crpth1]

John Liberty- Similar here. My best results have been with a 24 months compost. Yes, that's 2 years! Well broken down, really "finished". if we can use such expression! On the creepy side of the story, the reason behind it was a cat! A dead cat! Unfortunately lost one cat. Which also went to the compost pile! For more or less obvious reasons. Neither me or my wife wanted to "see" any of it. So 24 months after, the most amazing compost I ever used was "finished". Curious detail in 24 months, EVERYTHING that was once a cat disappeared! And I mean bones, teeth, etc. just amazing compost as final result! Compost and time walk side by side! So called commercial compost like the one on this video. Is a good proof that "bad" compost can be highly detrimental. Worse when you think that one actually payed for it! :-(

[@ethankaufman8577]

@@crpth1 Joel salatin compost all of his dead animals and all the organs and offal from his other operations in wood chips and according to him an entire cow will be broken down in as little as 6 months

[@dandan8333]

Well said, you have changed ideas said, true we incorporate composte similar to nature...most of time in the woods I've seen a thin top layer with composition below. The lifestyle of nature blows away some of our thinking. Take care and be safe while, having a great day!

[@shawncarr8699]

I add a small layer of vermicomposting (usually has more than a few worm eggs) and 2-4 inches of normal garden compost in fall, then another 2 inches in spring. my plants LOVE it! the worms make short order of mixing the top layer at the same time as enriching it.

[@michellel5444]

1st year beds 1 just layered cardboard and a ton of mostly mushroom compost and some garden soil. First year kinda sucked. Needed a lot of water. Disease and pest issues. Second year added "organic fertilizer" little better but still a lot of pests. Decided to turn the soil to interrupt any pest over wintering. I have clay and rock (reason I did no dig to begin with). My plants did much better. I'm seeing much more worms and it's holding water much better. Not planning to till anymore but I am glad I did. Leaving roots and piling my leaves and green mulch this winter. Making LAB and potassium for next year and buried kitchen scraps in some areas. We shall see next season.

[@StephanieBacks]

my best area is an area where my compost bin used to be. compost has been moved, the soil there, i guess the compost washed down into the soil, is black about 18"/45cm down. leaves have been my go to and because the rotting leaves have so many worms in there moving and mixing the layers, its the best i have been able to do to recreate that deep black soil.

[@annestudley8235]

I put 3" of compost I brought in on my beds this past summer, and some crops did well while others did not at all. The parsnips did best, and they were very deep rooted, so that suggests they got their nutrients from below where the compost reached. I'll be interested in seeing how things do next year with more integration. On the other hand, the most vigorous winter squash plant I ever had was a volunteer growing out of my compost pile - no soil there...

[@suzannecornell2801]

A couple of years ago, potatoes popped up in my compost pile. They sure we're a tasty surprise.

[@MrGYPSYSPADE]

thanks for the tests.

[@Stewart7516]

Sunflowers are a great way to build deep soil fertility. After harvesting the heads and reseeding the stems and leaves get chopped for a surface mulch. Several years of this will drastically improve poor soil. This is what I have been doing in silty soils.

[@danieltosta769]

Thank you so much this was great!

[@nguonchan273]

I top dress compost in the fall, let it sit throughout the winter and start planting in the spring. Soil needs time to adapt to the compost.

[@daviddecker264]

Excellent explanation. All good and expert view.

[@AKu-xs5vg]

Positive feedback loop. Applies to water too. Take two pots of soil, one bare, one with a plant growing. Sun them for 2 hours. Check which pot of soil turns paler. Everytime, it will be the bare soil. Same amount of water, same sun, but having a plant growing will make the soil lose less water. Even moreso if it's a dry-adapted plant.

[@AKu-xs5vg]

This is why forestation of desert lands is possible, and why China has managed to turn Shaanxi (a province almost 2x the size of New York STATE) from a barren white desert into forests and meadows--so much so that they've even been accused of "genociding the desert".

[@tedscott1478]

Hi👊🙂 Bloody good analysis mate! It's given me pause for thought. Thank you very much sir. Could you maybe do a blog about the use of coffee grounds please?

[@Warrior-In-the-Garden]

So True Diego!!! Just starting new beds on top of clay pack. I added a good 6'' of composted horse manure. It was SO DRY!!!!! Water just seems to flow right thru it. Considering doing a good turning of the soil to mix it up this fall in prep for next year. Always learning- respect your work! You always get me laughing about something!

[@NS-pf2zc]

I've done this, putting composted horse manure on top of clay. Mulch well and you might be surprised at what the worms do over the winter. I found that when I pulled back the mulch in the spring to plant they had nearly incorporated it all over the winter.

[@Warrior-In-the-Garden]

@@NS-pf2zc Thanks - you give me hope

[@OSGCourtWatch]

Add in copious amounts of finely ground malted barley too...the enzymes in the sprouted grain rings the dinner bell for microbial soil life which brings in the natural earthworms to aerate the soil...composting over time builds soil structure, we feed worm tea a handful of times per season to “renew” the microbial life later in the season to keep trace elements abundant so the plant can call for them as needed...

[@thatlibertygal]

@@OSGCourtWatch where do you find malted barley?

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

Hey. My Italian grandmother boiled noodles separately and spooned her rich, thick "Sunday Sauce" directly on the noodles. However, she'd add the pasta water directly to a lighter sauce, say a primavera, the starch thickening the sauce. Could be a northern Italian thing, though, since she was born in Tuscany and her own mother from Piedmont.

[@DiegoFooter]

Not sure. It just doesn't taste as good (to me) unless you cook the sauce and the pasta together.

[@alejandrotaudil3689]

Thanks Diego!

[@paullemay3218]

Thank you for sharing this information. 🇨🇦😎

[@jeepman1961]

Great info!

[@conde082]

Laguna Hills Nursery's Gary Matsuoka would have likely said 1 or 2. Not sure if you've follow him at all, he makes Gary's Top Pot and Gary's Acid Mix. He is a huge proponent of not adding too much organice matter. Agriculture knows this. But for some reason, in horticulture we are told "compost compost compost!!" ..most plants love loam and sandy loam. Yes they need nutrients, yes compost has a purpose...but not all plants love living in other "dead rotten plants" as Gary would say

[@chrischandler3041]

Thanks for telling me about Gary. I will check him out. I really do think the more I garden that organic matter is good, but it is like a lot of things, moderation is key. Deep rooted plants do most for the deeper layers of soil by creating channels that newer roots can follow down later on. One of the reasons is it is so good to not pull roots.

[@veganchiefwarrior6444]

gary taught me everything i know, yet im a more-on at heart so although id never mix organic matter into soil, i do still wonder if i could have like 8 inches of compost on top of soil and plant into that instead of planting into the soil beneath, would really make things super easy, he told me to plant in the soil and that i cant have too much compost on top of the soil, but i suuure love my compost :p

[@nickl8192]

Gabe Brown emphasizes always keeping a living root in the ground!

[@Saetun.]

I absolutely love your magic erasers!

[@josephmwansa5403]

You are a good communicator

[@bigal7713]

the problem was likely not enough water, not too much compost. You have added 6" compost on top of already slightly raised bed - it drained and dried to the bone, while almost at grade clay-reach bed retained the water

[@ranchoraccolto]

Nice experiment... I did one and the best was the middle but was just 3 beds, none 2 inches and 4.

[@freelivingtennessee]

I did a flipped sod bed this year and putting 4 inches of “super soil” mix on top from the landscaping company 2parts compost to 3 parts top soil. I’m hoping this will work out good

[@mr.alanmurphy1169]

How did it workout?

[@melody5437]

A good guide for how much to add is and how is the series of videos posted by Charles Dowding.

[@xuyahfish]

I don't worry about minerals much bc I have well water that is quite heavy. (In our home we have filtration for drinking water only)

[@permanax_patb1472]

Much better in this video about explaining mulch!!!! But definitely don’t underestimate how much mineral content is in compost!

[@mourlyvold7655]

I would think the mineral content in compost depends on many factors. Is there a guidline to be found somewhere?

[@phebajohn4606]

I watched this video last year but still went ahead and got 3 yds of compost ( good quality) from the city. Incorporate it with my garden bed that was 3 years old. Results were worst! Nothing grew well in that. Soil got dried out so much.

[@andytheagronomist218]

I like what you have to say about incorporating compost into the soil but not tilling to deeply or over tilling. Its all about shallow minimum tillage. Also its important to grow covercrops in rotation with veggies.

[@mikeholman4284]

Depends on which compost and what crop. Can you really extrapolate cucumber yield to tomato yields?

[@tedscott1478]

High organic content means lots of air pockets which allow air flow, (and oxygenation of the soil), which help the water evaporate, hence the drying out...

[@amiensarabellis8391]

Good thoughts.

[@hasanchoudhury5401]

You make a lot of sense and it is very reasonable. Too much compost maybe my problem. All things in moderation. Moderation. Balance. Thanks. Regards.

[@StayPrimal]

That was very helpful thank you

[@jean-pierreposman7282]

Hello Diego . I have my second yaer of a small garden now. My compost heep is pure funges special in the grass u put in . Is it still usable in the garden? Some Friends of me rond me not to sur it and throw it away wat is bad because there are much of woody materials in it

[@jim8572]

I built raised beds this year and filled them with 100% compost and I had my best year if production. Although I used unscreened compost, so there were lots of rocks, twigs and other things.

[@shanegray1846]

We did the same 9 years ago and had great results too! the soil was a little too hot for straight carrots though as they do not like high nitrogen or chunky texture. The beds will sink 4-6 inches every season and you will have to top them off. By year 5 it will start to get a little heavy for some root crops and perhaps need to be lightened up we used a tremendous amount of pearlite to a accomplish this. Add in some bio char and amendments we now have super soil.....

[@valentinoalejandre9342]

That random rant about the spaghetti had me dying 🤣🤣🤣

[@sylviaheinemann3314]

When I learned how to make compost I was told to always add about 10% of clay into the compost, or else it would not turn into good humus.