Compost is basically decomposed
organic material made out of shredded twigs, leaves, and kitchen scraps. To
gardeners, this material is nothing less than "black gold" as it
offers several benefits. For instance, mixing compost with clay soil makes it
easier for the gardener to work with the soil. In sandy soils, mixing compost
enhances the water hoarding capacity. Compost can also help improve plant
health and growth.
How Is Compost Made?
Composting is also an eco
friendly activity. It involves four main ingredients: moisture, organic matter,
bacteria and oxygen.
Organic matter comprises of
animal manures and plant materials. Organic materials used for compost include a mix of twigs, dead leaves, manure
(brown organic material) and fruit rinds, lawn clippings, etc (green organic
material). Green materials tend to supply nitrogen while brown materials supply
carbon.
As a general rule, gardeners must
plan on using compost in the beds before every planting season. Here is the
schedule for mixing compost so that plants grow healthily and yield better
results:
Cool season: mid-September to April is the
cool growing season, so compost needs to be added in late August or during
early September.
Warm season: mid February to March is when
the warm-season planting happens. One must add finished compost before the
spring planting season.
Where to buy compost in Bay Area?
A lot of gardeners, who have the
space and time, make their own compost.
But in case a compost fix is required then there are several resources
out there in the Bay Area that offer such materials. In fact, some of these
dealers are also known to offer high-quality compost at a very reasonable
price. Users can also contact landscaping experts of their area to find out
about the best compost dealers or to get the services of these experts. Such
companies offer comprehensive maintenance programs that make sure the plants
stay healthy and the owner’s investment is protected.
Buying from outside:
Buying compost from outside
should not be taken casually. The user must keep certain things in mind, such
as,
Quality: this may seem odd but
smelling the compost is a good way of determining its quality. Even though the
product is created out of decaying materials, finished compost still smells
decent. It must not smell like ammonia or garbage. In case it does, that means
the composting process is still not complete and that it won’t provide the
plants with adequate nutrition.
Examining the compost: another
way of determining the quality of the compost is by examining it with hands.
Compost must have a dark color, and when touched with the hands, it must feel
fluffy and light. If the user can distinguish the raw materials by looking at
the compost, the process of composting is not complete.
Diversity: gardeners must avoid
buying compost that only contains one kind of organic matter. Rather, the
experts advice on buying composts created from several organic sources, such as
grass clippings, leaves, food scraps, manure and plant scraps. More the
variety, more are the benefits.
Apart from reaching out to the
dealers, gardeners can also order online or through phone. All they need to do
is locate the contact information of the manufacturer and discuss the
requirements. When buying from a manufacturer, however, procuring in bulk
rather than by bag is normally more cost effective. Also, since checking the
quality during virtual deals is impossible, the buyer must make sure that the
manufacturer is dependable. It is also advisable to avoid buying from big box
stores. Chain retailers are more likely to offer low quality compost than
individual dealers.
