Composting

Question

I compost leaves, twigs, kitchen waste and grass clippings. It mostly is leaves in the fall, shrub and bush trimmings spring & fall and grass a few times during the grass growing season. I get a large quantity of beautiful compost every year. I used this in my garden and also tried to fill pots and plant flowers and herbs. I don’t think this produces good germination results from seeds; is compost not good as a potting soil?

Answer 1

Compost is an excellent addition to potting mix; however, by itself, it doesn’t drain well and can pack down making it hard for fragile roots to penetrate. That is where perlite comes in. Most potting mixes have no soil (dirt) and are based on sphagnum peat or coir and perlite. Compost is going to break down fast so it is utilized as a topdressing or no more than 1/3 of a homemade potting mix.