Compost & Soil Preparation

Is your garden soil not quite what you want it to be? Need to make some improvements? Soil amendments may be a solution. Before making any additions or changes to your soil, its good to know what soil amendments are and how they may work in your soil.

Compost benefits the garden as well as the environment. Photo: Pixabay.com The process of composting is good for your garden and for the environment. Home composting allows gardeners to recycle organic material while conserving landfill space and reducing reliance on fossil fuel.

Compost is multi-purpose. It can be used as mulch, topdressing, soil amendment, or as an organic fertilizer. Adding compost to the garden is one of the best ways to improve soil and support plant health.

Use this table to turn around problems you may be encountering with your composting system.

The real work of composting is done by a variety of underground inhabitants including earthworms, sowbugs, bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms. Some you can see, but most you cannot.

Natures no-till way relies on leaving the soil alone and nourishing it by the continual addition of new layers of dying and dead plant matter.

Backyard Composting Basics Handout Backyard Composting Basics PresentationTurning Dirt into Gold Presentation Backyard Composting Basics handout Backyard Composting Basics presentation Back To Basics: Beginning with soil and ending with mulch.

?Where to use mulch ?What to use ?When and how often to apply ?How much do I need ?How to apply ?

Welcome to the Sherwood Demonstration Garden! As Master Gardeners, we are committed to educating the general public on sustainable horticulture and pest management practices based on traditional, current, and evolving research.

Soils vary greatly from one place to another, even in your own garden. No matter how much work you do in your garden, all may be in vain if the quality of your soil is poor. Listed below are some things you can do to get to know your soil.