Where/How Do You Use Your Homemade Compost?

[Peanut]

Hi Folks,

I have quite a bit of homemade compost this year. One lot is a good few years old and almost like soil, the other lot is from the 12-18 months and is more kind of fluffy and light.

I'm curious to know how you all use your compost.

I know it can be a mulch but other than that I'm not sure of its best use. I don't want to waste it if it really is the black gold people often say it is!

Thanks all!

[Penellype]

I use mine to fill buckets for potatoes, then when I have harvested those I sieve it and use it the next year to grow carrots. After that I might grow other crops in it or put it on the beds as a mulch.

My compost tends to be fairly chunky, if yours is mostly nice and fine you could sieve it and use it for potting or as seed compost. The only thing I wouldn't do is use it to plant things you are going to grow in the house, as it will be full of wildlife.

[Snoop Puss]

Do you add any feed at any stage, Penellype, for your potatoes or carrots? Or just your compost?

[rary]

Hi Folks,

I have quite a bit of homemade compost this year. One lot is a good few years old and almost like soil, the other lot is from the 12-18 months and is more kind of fluffy and light.

The material like soil I would mix with washed course sand and use as a potting mix, the other use as a seed compost, why go and buy compost that you dont know whats in it, many years ago gardeners made their own compost, which all changed when garden centres opened and they provided bagged compost made from peat, the home gardener couldn't couldn't compete with the cheap peat compost so making your own seed and potting compost fell by the wayside, and nowadays most people think you need to buy compost for these purposes and any that you make is only good for mulching

[Penellype]

Do you add any feed at any stage, Penellype, for your potatoes or carrots? Or just your compost?

I always add some bfb at planting time just in case the compost is missing some vital ingredient. I do this both for the potatoes and then again for the carrots (and again every time I reuse the compost). I also feed the potatoes with tomato feed once they get big. I do notice that fresh home made compost produces bigger potatoes than reused compost with the same feeding regime.

[Peanut]

Thank you Penellype and rary for your most excellent knowledge and suggestions.
I wish I hadn't ordered quite so much compost now! We live and learn