There really isn't a bad time to add compost to your garden. The most popular times are in late fall, so the nutrients have time to fully incorporate into the soil, and early spring, about two weeks before you plant, so that the nutrients are fresh in the soil.
Adding nutrient-rich compost in the fall will greatly improve your soil next spring. Healthy soil is teeming with life — from macro-organisms like earthworms and pill bugs down to the microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and microbes.
A lot of growers choose to add compost in the fall because the soil is dryer and easier to work with, and because generally in the growing world the end of the season is a less hectic time than when you're just getting started in spring.
After raking through the top soil, your garden is ready to be covered for winter. Put a layer of compost on the top, about 3″-6″ deep. This is going to keep your garden soil warmer, add nutrients throughout the winter, and allow those good soil organisms to continue creating a great habitat for new plants.
You can start composting in fall and winter and come spring you'll reap the rewards of your first harvest. Start your pile with finely chopped dry leaves and twigs and small pieces of green, organic matter. Remember the keys to successful composting in the cold is to compost small pieces and keep the pile warm and dry.
There really isn't a bad time to add compost to your garden. The most popular times are in late fall, so the nutrients have time to fully incorporate into the soil, and early spring, about two weeks before you plant, so that the nutrients are fresh in the soil.
Compost, a crumbly soil-like material, is alive with worms and beneficial fungi and bacteria. It enriches soils, provides nutrients and increases the soil's ability to hold moisture. Several inches of compost can be piled on top of vegetable beds in autumn. Worms and other organisms will slowly work it into the soil.
Add compost or aged manure about an inch deep across your bed to keep the soil covered over winter, weeds suppressed, and worms busy. The worms will drag it down to the soil so the microbes can work on it, too, releasing all those nutrients in time, and feeding your crop for next spring.
You can sprinkle compost on top or mix it into your flower and vegetable beds, gently rake compost into tree beds, blend it with potting soil to revitalize indoor plants, or spread it on top of the soil on your lawn as a soil amendment.
What to add? Compost, raw organic matter, and organic nutrients. Autumn is a good time to improve your soil by adding raw organic matter, such as shredded leaves.
For vegetable or flower gardens: Apply 1 – 3 inches of compost and rototill or mix into existing soil. For fall garden cover crop: Spread 1 – 3 inches of compost and seed cover crop in the fall to protect exposed soil. Incorporate the cover crop into the soil and proceed with gardening as usual.
After the pile reaches around 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, you want to stop adding greens and limit the amount of browns so that the compost can cure.
If you have a light, rich garden soil, and you're using compost to maintain rather than to remediate it, then there's no need to dig it up. Just spread the compost on top. Worms, rain and microbial action will mix it into the soil beneath it.
Composting works in sun or shade Piles in sunny spots will decompose quicker but also dry out faster and may need supplemental watering during hot dry weather. Those located in a shadier spot will stay moist longer but decompose slower. In either case, make sure the soil below the pile is well-drained.
You can keep your compost bin active all year round.
In the autumn, the urban composter may look at the remains of their garden and wonder if they should let their compost go dormant over the winter. This would be an easy thing to do, but you still produce kitchen scraps even when winter has come.
Adding too much compost may be harmful, especially in vegetable gardens. You can apply too much compost at one time or over several years. Too much compost in soil stunts plant growth. It also may create water pollution.
Composting becomes even easier without compost bins. Burying the compost directly in the garden bed reduces time and energy spent. Vegetable plants still get the same benefits of traditional composting methods.
Adding compost in autumn renews depleted soil.
During the spring and summer, plants rely on nutrient rich soil to grow. Compost can be added around flowers, trees or shrubs and worked into the soil for next year's vegetable garden. This revives soil in one of the most sustainable, earth-friendly ways.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
If you want to make it easy on yourself, add compost or fertilizer directly over the mulch layer. Over time, water from irrigation and rain will wash the nutrients through the mulch and down to the soil. There is nothing wrong with this approach.
Layer fallen, shredded tree leaves, compost and fertilizer in the garden bed and turn under the soil. You could also dig trenches in the garden, pile in the leaves and compost and cover with soil. These organic soil amendments will decompose over winter and leave the soil more fertile when spring rolls around.
A constant, fresh supply of organic matter is necessary to keep it growing healthy. While routinely adding an extra layer of topsoil to your lawn can be helpful, fall is the most opportune time to do so. This is because the winter can be a particularly difficult time for the plant life on your property.