Vegetable beds filled with compost rather than soil/compost mix—what to do? - Ask Extension
I hired someone to fill my raised vegetable garden beds with a soil/compost mix but instead he filled them with straight compost (I think he thought h...
Knowledgebase
Vegetable beds filled with compost rather than soil/compost mix—what to do? #447406
Asked April 12, 2018, 12:02 PM EDT
I hired someone to fill my raised vegetable garden beds with a soil/compost mix but instead he filled them with straight compost (I think he thought he was doing me a favor). Wondering what the best plan of action is... I would rather not remove all the compost and have to hire the whole process over again if it is salvageable. I have the analysis of the compost (dated 4/2017—see attached). Can I plant my veggies in this compost? Will I have poor results? Can I amend with soil in the top few inches of the beds? Help!
Allegan County Michigan
Expert Response
There is probably not an easy answer for this. Compost can change a lot over a year depending on how it was stored. Looking at the compost report, the one item that seemed to stand out was a pH of 8. This is just too high for most vegetables. You would have to adjust this down if it is still at that level. Without considering the pH, most people would see no problem with planting to a good depth of compost. Getting a soil test would probably be helpful. http://msusoiltest.com/
I hope this is helpful,
I hope this is helpful,
