Are There Differences in Compost and What are They?

A habit of adding compost to your soil has many benefits, but understanding how it works and what makes up the best type of compost can be confusing. Here’s a breakdown of the some of the benefits of using compost, what composts are made up from, and the different types available.

What is Compost?

Composting is decomposed organic material derived from 2  main components: "Greens” & “Browns”. It is made up from the layering, mixing- to provide oxygen for microorganisms to breath and break down the materials, and heating over time to kill seeds and pathogens of these two component categories.  ​

Benefits of Using Compost

Studies show that using compost improves color, helps tomatoes and other plants stand up to common diseases. While considered a soil conditioner rather than a fertilizer, compost helps feed soil with a slow release of beneficial nutrients over time. It is best to add compost to soil each year to improve the overall soil structure. Compost also helps soil to retain moisture. Our Terra Zest is mixed with wool for an added benefit. Try adding wool pellets in with your soil for the added benefits of water retention, porosity, more nutrients and slug & snail control.

What are a the differences in compost?

The main difference in any compost is feedstock or the materials that you start with.  You need "Greens" and "Browns" or Nitrogen and Carbon, there are many different sources of "Greens" or Nitrogen.  ​
​Common Nitrogen sources include:

• Table scraps- Are great for a home composter, however be careful not to use foods that have a high sodium content, or that are really acidic unless you want your compost to be acidic.  The best compost is always made using the same ingredients, that you know will make the compost you want. Using scraps from your table will usually make different compost with each batch, so be careful to which plants you apply your compost.
• Yard Waste- or "Green Waste" if it comes from your yard and is chipped up to small pieces can make a nice compost, this compost may take longer to "cook" and not be high in nutrition unless you add some extra nitrogen source.  If you are not sure where the yard waste has come from as an example yard waste from the landfill, be careful in using this compost as some of the yard waste that has come in may have been sprayed with herbicides that can last in the compost for up to two years. clippings may, if not cooked long enough introduce seeds of other plants.
• Manures- manures come in many different ways, some may be high in nutrition and some may not. Some may have high salts, some may not.  Again it is best to find a good manure source that you like and then use that source, so you can keep your compost batches as much the same as you can. Manures can also introduce bacterial pathogens. Those available Commercially are chemically treated to kill bacteria.​

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With all compost the feedstock should be mixed at about 30:1 ratio, Carbon to Nitrogen then "cooked" and turned for about 6 months.

Why miss an opportunity to increase your soil's fertility and nutrients for growing? Soil that has compost regularly added to it becomes rich, dark, and wonderfully crumbly and often requires less fertilizer.

Wild Valley Farms premium organic and all natural TERRA ZEST is a special blend of manure, sawdust, and hydroscopic fiber (wool). We combine these products carefully to ensure your plants, lawn, trees or garden vegetables can get the full nutritional value needed for root development. Our premium Terra Zest will help your soil retain moisture and works as a slow release fertilizer that lasts all year long, unlike chemical fertilizers that only last for a few weeks, and our Terra Zest won’t burn your lawn or plants. It is safe for use around children or pets immediately after use. Screened through a 1/4 inch screen so no trash, big rocks, or other garbage.

We sell our premium Terra Zest  and Golf Course blends by the cubic yard in bulk truck loads and  in 1 & 2 yard tote bags.  One cubic yard is about a pick up load and will cover about 162 sqft 2 inches deep. ​

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