In the beginning, gardeners would add compost and other
organic matter to fertile
native soil to create a paradise for their vegetable plants.

Before 1850, virtually all U.S. nitrogen fertilizer was in
the
form of natural organic
materials, mainly livestock manure and legume “green
manure.” Gardeners added
these to their soil, which they considered the storehouse of
plant nutrients.

Then all that changed.

Inorganic fertilizers began supplying low-cost plant
nutrients. And many gardeners
began to see fertilizer, soils and their vegetable crops in a
new
light.

From Soil Management to
‘Fertilizer
Management’

The emphasis shifted from soil management (building and
maintaining fertile soils) to
“fertilizer management.” Gardeners saw bags of
fertilizer, not the soil, as the
primary source of plant nutrients.

That’s not good.

Inorganic fertilizer, in and of itself, isn’t the problem.
Except for special
situations such as “organic gardening” that may
prohibit them, inorganic
fertilizers play a big role in supplying garden vegetables with
needed nutrients.

The problem is that many gardeners now rely exclusively on
them. That short-changes
their gardens, because nutrient content is only part of the
story.

Compost Adds More Than
Nutrients

Besides nutrients, organic fertilizer provides many other
benefits that make the soil
more productive. Soils’ organic-matter content greatly affects
how productive they can be.

That’s because organic matter, besides containing nutrients:

• Makes the soil better able to hold those nutrients and
  release them to plants.
• Enables soil to hold more water.
• Reduces crusting.
• Reduces compaction.
• Buffers the soil against rapid changes in acidity.
• Enhances microbial activity.

Together, these factors improve the soil’s structure and make
it more productive.
Unfortunately, the benefits they provide are often lacking in
soils fertilized only
with inorganic products.

Not All Organic Matter
Equal

Organic matter is plant and animal matter in various stages
of
decay. But all organic
matter is not created equal. Quality compost is the best form
for
gardens.

Compost is made from livestock manure, chicken litter, plant
debris, etc. But finished
compost is quite different from the raw materials it was made
from.

During composting, microorganisms break down organic matter
aerobically (in the
presence of oxygen) until the microflora (tiny plants) and
organic matter become stable.

In compost, high quality is defined by more than the
nutrients
and organic matter it
does contain. It’s also marked by the pathogens and weed seeds
it
doesn’t contain.

And that’s not all.

Compost ‘Good Guys’ Work for
You

Quality compost has high populations of nonpathogenic
microflora. You can’t see them,
but they’re working for you. They can actually suppress diseases
and nematodes.

If you don’t routinely apply compost in your garden, plan
corrective action now.

Compost needs to be incorporated before you plant, so it’s
likely a little late to
apply it this spring. However, summer is the ideal time to apply
compost for the fall
garden.

As soon as you finish picking your spring vegetables, work 10
to 12 pounds of
high-quality compost into each 30 square feet of the garden.

It will make your soil better. It may even give you some of
the healthiest, most
beautiful vegetables you’ve ever grown.