Compost

Common uses

How gardeners use compost

Compost feeds the soil rather than the plant, which is why a little goes a long way in almost every part of the yard.

• Vegetable gardens

  Working an inch or two of compost into beds each season adds the nutrients and organic matter that heavy feeders like tomatoes and squash pull out.

  Garden compost

• Raised beds

  Topping off raised beds with compost each spring replaces the volume that settles and breaks down over a season.

  Raised bed soil

• Improving clay or sandy soil

  Compost loosens clay so it drains and helps sandy soil hold water, so the same fix works at both extremes.

  Amending clay soil

• Top dressing a lawn

  A quarter inch raked over the lawn after aeration feeds the roots and helps new seed take, without smothering the grass.

  Aeration and compost