4 Give me if I asked already!

[james dilley]

O K I just checked the Finished Compost I have The pile measures 6 feet X 5 feet, And is 8" deep. So how much should be Applied ?/ I was thinking 1" thick. And till into the top 3" ! Right or wrong??? That would be 240 Sq. Ft. of coverage. I can have 4 times that in 8 week.

[katydidagain]

I live in the city; I cannot compost very much because it attracts rats. I order 7 or 10 cubic yards of leaf mulch from the city every 2 years of so. I use it until I use it up; my growing areas are less than 1000 sq feet. After nearly 26 years, I have about 2' or more of black gold in my tiny beds. I don't think you can EVER spread it too thick; I could be wrong but I don't fertilize and haven't since 1981.

[Tricky Grama]

James, I don't think there's any fast rules to applying compost. If you have that much I'd lay down lots. Where are you putting it? Garden? Grass? If it's in the grass, you don't want more that about 1/4". But in the garden, lots is better.

[Ernie]

8 inches deep? The "recipes" normally call for a pile that's at least 3 FEET high or it won't ignite properly.

I apply compost into the garden, rake it around and then till it under. This is normally a fall enterprise so it can sit and further digest until spring planting.

Properly done, compost is nothing more than a rich dirt. Spread it however thick you want and you can even use it straight in pots or what-have-you to grow the lushest plants you've ever seen. Judging from the dimensions of your pile and the length of time (8 weeks isn't enough), however, I'm betting it's not fully composted. If you've got manure in there then it may be too hot to apply to plants. Too hot means "too nitrogen rich" and it will burn up the roots of tender seedlings and even some adult plants. If it's just grass clippings and weeds then it's probably fine.

When compost is done, it ought to look like a handful of dirt and have no offensive smell.

[james dilley]

We are Talking Finished Compost, Not the Pile that was started. Plus I Have been Sifting out A lot of leaf mold into the pile..