What is "quality compost"?

crankyoldman 3/13/2015, 6:43 pm

I frequently see where someone cites the need to use "quality compost" but nobody ever explains what that may be.

So if you have an opinion on what quality compost is I would like to hear it.

**Turan** 3/13/2015, 7:08 pm

Quality compost is stuff that has enough nutrients in it of appropriate ratio to use to fertilize for the seasons crops. It is the living portion of soil, alive with fungi and various bacteria that create a symbiotic relationship with plants.

Mikesgardn 3/13/2015, 7:48 pm

Usually that means that the compost was made from a wide variety of materials like manure, leaves, vegetable scraps, etc. The less variety, the lesser the quality.

**sanderson** 3/14/2015, 1:40 am

Turan and Mikesgardn. I like both answers. I'll add: free of rocks, bottle caps and uncomposted wood if it's commercially bagged.

**AtlantaMarie** 3/14/2015, 6:52 am

And not a whole bunch of sand.

**camprn** 3/14/2015, 8:30 am

At this site is a lot of good research information and learning opportunities regarding compost. http://compost.css.cornell.edu/

Windmere 3/14/2015, 11:28 am

Just want to add, there should be no unpleasant odor. It should have a nice earthy smell.

brainchasm 3/16/2015, 4:12 pm

Look for things that have low wood content. Kellogg products are terrible.

If you find plastic or soda can pieces in your compost, it was likely scraped from the shoulder of a road, lol.

I like a blend of mushroom compost, chicken manure compost, veggie scrap compost, coffee grounds...basically anything except "forest products".

**Kelejan** 3/16/2015, 6:26 pm

AtlantaMarie wrote:And not a whole bunch of sand.

And not a preponderance of peat if using commercial stuff. (I like using big words.) Very Happy

Actually, peat is not part of the compost, but is one-third of Mel's Mix. A lot of commercial compost does include peat, and that should be taken into account otherwise your mix will not be as nutritious as it should be.

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