It is entirely possible to reuse old compost: the books tell you not to, but they are assuming you have money to spare/a car/easy access to a garden centre. Bang out the compost from around the roots and use this on top of other pots or plants in the garden.

Loamy soil is mixture of sand, silt, clay and humus. Presence of sandy soil, makes it capable to hold air, clayey soil makes it capable of holding water. So loamy soil is considered the best soil used of gardening and for farming.

11 Loam Composts and Soils

• John Innes Blend Compost Blends. You can hardly mention loam without mentioning John Innes Compost.
• Black and Gold Organic Compost. This is a very loamy, high quality, all-purpose compost.
• Cost of Maine Lobster Compost.
• Miracle-Gro Potting Mix.
• Burpee Organic Potting Mix.

How often should I apply compost? In order to keep your soil fertile and high in organic matter, an application every two or three years is important.

The simplest way to distinguish between compost and fertilizer is to remember this: Compost feeds the soil and fertilizer feeds the plants. Fertilizer adds to the soil’s nutrient supply, but instead of feeding the soil food web, the ingredients in fertilizers are intended to meet the needs of fast-growing plants.

Let’s get started! To maintain healthy soil, you should add a thick layer of compost – at least 2-3″ – every year. If you’re using homemade compost, it’s best to add it in early fall so that by spring, it will have broken down and worked itself into the soil.

Example B: 2 inches of depth for 20ft x 20ft 20ft = 240 inches, so 240 inches x 240 inches = 57,600 square inches of land to cover. Multiply by 2 inches of depth: 57,600 x 2 = 115,200 cubic inches of compost required. Divide by 46,656 to convert to cubic yards: 115,200/46,656 = 2.47 cubic yards of compost.

Mulch and compost are not the same thing. The simple answer, is that mulch is used on the top layer of the soil to control weeds, retain moisture and regulate temperature, whereas compost is used beneath the top layer of the soil to benefit the soil itself in providing essential nutrients.

In a fast acting, hot composting process, it may take four to six months for all the material to break down. It could be quicker if it’s really fine material. For the passive compost, it may take six to twelve months to transform all that garden debris into finished compost.

Your best option is a pile about 4 or 5 feet wide, long, and high. Organic matter consists of large amounts of carbon and smaller amounts of nitrogen. Organic matter in your compost bin will break down more quickly if you mix a ratio of 25 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen.

Let’s just start out by saying: putting egg shells in your compost is okay; they are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need. Drying your shells allows them to crush more completely before you add them to your compost bin.

Suitable greens will have a high nitrogen value and be ‘easy’ for the composting microbes to breakdown. The “natural” activators include: Green Plants, e.g. comfrey, clover, grass clippings, nettles, or alfalfa.