Phisherman wrote:

Jeana wrote:
Someone is telling me they're going to start a raised bed veggie garden
with a load of compost. Not digging it in, just planting in compost.
When I said, get a soil test first, and you need to dig the compost in
etc..., he said I was wrong. I don't mind being wrong, but am I missing
something here with what he's doing?


I can't see where anyone is "wrong." Good compost alone has much
what's needed to make plants grow, but some plants will grow better,
have minerals available and have better support when the compost is
tilled into the ground. There are different kinds of compost--some
made entirely from animal manure, some from decayed vegetation matter.
Take a look at his garden mid-summer and let us know?


Yeah. Right/wrong doesn't seem to be the best way to frame this question.

What kind of "compost", and whether it's finished composting are important
issues. How thickly it's spread, what kind of soil is underneath, what's being
grown, what the weather conditions will be, and whether some, and what type of
mulch might be used will factor in as well.

We're talking about a raised bed, but how raised are we talking? If we're
talking more than six inches over the existing soil, there may not be any reason
to till anything into it. If it's hardpan, breaking it up a little would help
with drainage, but you wouldn't need to till in the material you're using to
fill the bed.

If they're buying bags of "planting compost", it's not really what we might call
compost. It would be a mix of compost and soil, which gets us back to the same
kind of medium you'd get tilling compost into the existing soil.

And what is their goal in this garden? Do they want to turn it into a project to
maximize the yield from some vegetables? Or are they just looking to put
something in that spot of the yard, and decided that they'd like to try their
hand at vegetables? To some of us, seeing how great of a crop we can get is fun.
To others, soil tests, and optimizing the growing medium and such takes all the
fun out of it.

For some people, gardening isn't a competitive sport. It's like the difference
between someone who buys special running shoes, and keeps a training diary,
versus someone who just goes out and runs around the neighborhood in their
basketball shoes every couple of days. If you take these people off, and tell
them that they need to get the right shoes, and keep a training diary, they
might stop running all together because it's no longer fun.

They're not setting themselves up for failure. They're probably not going to
hurt themselves. Depending on what kind of "compost" we're talking about,
whatever they're going to plant will probably grow. They may not be ready for
the competitive vegetable harvest circuit in fall, but their approach may result
in enough to satisfy them.

Right or wrong? Nope. Just different.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Your Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Suburban Lawn:
http://www.holzemville.com/community...are/index.html

Warren wrote:

They're not setting themselves up for failure. They're probably not going to
hurt themselves. Depending on what kind of "compost" we're talking about,
whatever they're going to plant will probably grow. They may not be ready for
the competitive vegetable harvest circuit in fall, but their approach may result
in enough to satisfy them.

Right or wrong? Nope. Just different.

Shame on me. I forgot how fun it was to throw caution to the wind, and
just go ahead and do something. I'm not going to "help" him unless he
specifically asks again. I must be getting old, good grief! g

I did warn him about buying that sewer sludge stuff though.

Thanks, Jeana

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:37:44 -0500, Jeana wrote:

Someone is telling me they're going to start a raised bed veggie garden
with a load of compost. Not digging it in, just planting in compost.
When I said, get a soil test first, and you need to dig the compost in
etc..., he said I was wrong. I don't mind being wrong, but am I missing
something here with what he's doing?

As anyone who's maintained (or rather, not maintained) a 'cold'
compost pile, plants *love* it and will take root or germinate in
compost in profusion. However, 'compost' usually refers to partially
decomposed organic matter that will continue to decay and disappear.
Without any soil, your friend will have sunken gardens rather than
raised beds.

On 3/21/05 7:14 AM, in article ,
"Frogleg" wrote:

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:37:44 -0500, Jeana wrote:

Someone is telling me they're going to start a raised bed veggie garden
with a load of compost. Not digging it in, just planting in compost.
When I said, get a soil test first, and you need to dig the compost in
etc..., he said I was wrong. I don't mind being wrong, but am I missing
something here with what he's doing?

As anyone who's maintained (or rather, not maintained) a 'cold'
compost pile, plants *love* it and will take root or germinate in
compost in profusion. However, 'compost' usually refers to partially
decomposed organic matter that will continue to decay and disappear.
Without any soil, your friend will have sunken gardens rather than
raised beds.
I prefer to dig my compost in. Reason: To leave it on the surface could kill
the living organisms in it. I say bury it. But there are lots of ways to
skin a cat...some are better some are worse. Most will work to some degree.
Gary

I don't agree that "Compost usually refers to partially decomposted organic
matter that will continue to decay and disappear." I consider "Compost" to
be fully decomposed organic matter. I refer to what you call "compost" as
partially-composted material. That's ok for top dressing, but not adding to
soil. Experiments have been conducted (U. MD) in growing plants (Italian
frying peppers) in 5 gallon buckets with only compost as the growing medium
and they did great.
__________________
John Henry Wheeler
Washington, DC
USDA Zone 7
"Compost Nut" wrote in message
...
On 3/21/05 7:14 AM, in article ,
"Frogleg" wrote:

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:37:44 -0500, Jeana wrote:

Someone is telling me they're going to start a raised bed veggie garden
with a load of compost. Not digging it in, just planting in compost.
When I said, get a soil test first, and you need to dig the compost in
etc..., he said I was wrong. I don't mind being wrong, but am I missing
something here with what he's doing?

As anyone who's maintained (or rather, not maintained) a 'cold'
compost pile, plants *love* it and will take root or germinate in
compost in profusion. However, 'compost' usually refers to partially
decomposed organic matter that will continue to decay and disappear.
Without any soil, your friend will have sunken gardens rather than
raised beds.
I prefer to dig my compost in. Reason: To leave it on the surface could
kill
the living organisms in it. I say bury it. But there are lots of ways to
skin a cat...some are better some are worse. Most will work to some
degree.
Gary