I always thought more compost was better until I read a soil science study last month

I've been piling on compost every spring for like 5 years now (thought I was being a good gardener). But I found this article from the University of Vermont Extension that tested garden soil after heavy compost additions. Turns out too much compost can lock up nitrogen and mess with your pH way worse than I ever imagined. I checked my soil with a $15 test kit and sure enough, my nitrogen was almost zero and pH was 8.2. I thought compost was just harmless dirt but it's actually potent stuff if you overdo it. Now I'm trying to balance it with some sulfur and cover crops this fall. Has anyone else dealt with soil that got too rich from compost?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.ben17h ago

Thought compost was just harmless dirt" - that's what I told myself after dumping my third wheelbarrow full. Now my garden looks like Chernobyl.

stellaa6915h ago

Three wheelbarrows full is a lot, but I dumped about six bags of mushroom compost last spring and everything just grew like crazy. Maybe your soil was too hot or you got a bad batch. I've heard compost can sometimes be too fresh and burn plants if it hasn't broken down enough. Or maybe it's the specific plants you put in, some stuff like tomatoes and peppers actually love that rich soil. My neighbor had a similar freakout when his seedlings turned yellow, turned out he just needed to water more and let the compost settle for a week. I'm not buying that your garden looks like Chernobyl, probably just some wilting leaves that'll bounce back.

terryk1014h ago

Did you let the compost sit for a bit before planting? I had a similar issue once and just watered it heavy for a few days, things bounced right back.