How to Use Compost on the Homestead — Homesteading Family

Compost is key to supercharging your garden soil, and whether you purchase it or make food scraps, manure, worm, or mushroom compost, you need to know how to use compost to get the most out of this black gold.

Let’s dig into the various ways compost can increase plant growth on your homestead.

Why You Should Learn How to Use Compost

You’ve probably heard Josh say that “dirt is dead.” Dirt is just mineral earth with no life in it. Soil, on the other hand, has organic matter, and compost is the element needed to bring and sustain life in our garden soil.

We are big proponents of adding composting to your must-have homesteading skills and have shared these blog posts covering all the ins and outs of producing it:

By now, you may have a stockpile of compost and you’re wondering what exactly to do with it. Learning how to use compost the right way will maximize your investment, improve soil health, conserve water, and produce bigger harvests. 

Does Compost Replace Fertilizers

Due to various soil conditions, there are different schools of thought on whether you should use compost and fertilizers. We have adapted to just adding compost, and have had great results, but recognize that may not be the best choice for everyone.

If you choose to also use fertilizer, choose organic fertilizers and avoid synthetic fertilizers, which can pose hazards to your health, animals, and the environment.

If you have a new garden and find yourself in a position where quality compost is not available, you could benefit from using organic fertilizers. It would be better to use fertilizers while you get yourself set up with compost rather than using nothing at all.

Whichever method you choose, we highly recommend doing a soil test each year so you can accurately measure and monitor the health of your soil. If your soil is deficient in a specific nutrient, it may be better to use a specific soil amendment rather than a general fertilizer.

Sourcing Compost

Before you learn how to use compost, you need to have it on hand. There are two ways to source it: purchasing or producing. We recommend making compost because you can control the quality and know exactly what’s in it.

We happen to have plenty of materials on hand to make a large amount of compost because we practice the deep bedding method in the barn and deep bedding for chickens all winter long. The combination of animal manure and wood chips creates a great compost medium. Some green waste is needed also, like kitchen waste or grass clippings. For exact ratios, check out my simplified DIY compost tutorial.

However, if that’s not realistic for you, then always make sure to find high-quality compost from a trusted and reliable source. This can be hard to find from garden centers, so don’t be shy to ask questions about their composting system and what is used to make it.

If you purchase from local farmers, they are likely producing their compost with horse or cow manure. It’s important to find out what their animals are eating, because any herbicides in their feed will end up in the finished product, and you don’t want to add that to your garden, as it will negatively affect your plants.

The last option is purchasing commercially produced bagged compost. This can be a gamble because the mass production generally yields processes that affect quality, and it’s tougher to get questions answered. 

This doesn’t mean the bagged option isn’t better than nothing. Just be aware that it’s a little riskier. 

When to Apply Compost

The beauty of applying compost is that your garden can benefit from it at any time. 

Spring is generally a busy time for us, so we like to apply it in the fall. As an added bonus, when the spring rains come, the compost releases nutrients into the soil and is already at work by the time we are ready to do our planting. 

However, if spring is a better time for you, feel free to apply it then. For best results, add it early in the spring so that it has a chance to work its way down into the soil before you begin planting.

How to Use Compost on the Homestead

Finished compost can be used in various ways, but consider what you are planting. If you are beginning with seeds, some are more hearty (corn, beans, radishes, sunflowers) while others are more delicate (carrots, lettuce, leafy greens). 

Depending on the texture, you may need to use a compost sifter to make it easier for the more delicate seedlings to poke through the surface. Learn how to build a compost sifter here. 

Garden Beds

When it comes to vegetable beds, we recommend using the no-till method – building the soil up instead of tilling down. To keep true to this method, we first remove leftover plant matter (usually in the fall), rake the soil level, layer our compost on top of the soil, and do not till it in. 

For a brand new garden, you can add a layer of compost as deep as six inches, but this can get pretty expensive. You could scale back to adding four inches and still get your garden off to a great start. 

For the following four years, you can add about 1-2 inches each year. After the fourth year, your garden plot should be well established, only needing ¼”-½” each year after that.

Garden Planters

One of the few downsides to container gardening is that the nutrient-rich potting soil becomes depleted faster. Adding about an inch of sifted compost to your containers twice throughout the growing season can keep your potting soil refreshed and healthy.

Perennial Plants

If you have recently started growing perennials on your homestead, apply about ½” of compost around the base of each plant. If you choose to apply in the fall, the compost will additionally protect the roots from a long, harsh winter.

Once your perennial plants are mature and well established, you shouldn’t need to continue to add compost unless the plant starts looking weak. 

Transplanting

Many of us start seeds indoors or purchase starts from a greenhouse. When you are ready to transplant your seedlings into your main garden, adding a handful of compost to your hole before adding the seedling can help give it an extra boost as the seedling establishes its roots in its new spot.

Now that you know how to use compost, we encourage you (if you haven’t already) to take that next step to learn how to make your own compost. Putting this knowledge into practice will increase your self-sufficiency, help you save money, and live a more sustainable lifestyle. 

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