Is it ok to grow in compost?

The compost in question is from a landscape company that takes in and processes greenwaste into compost, a 3-month process (minimum). Is it ok to grow vegetables in 18" of it, no soil? Do they need extra nitrogen?

Thank you for your response.

I top dress with compost. You may also try the Soil and Composting thread and ask your questions there. You may get more of a response.

Thank you.

Compost alone doesn't have much in the way of structure. The generally accepted ratio of compost to soil is around 50/50. Less compost if that is too crumbly, more if it still too sticky.

A lot of this depends on the soil you're starting with. In my clay intense topsoil, when I built raised beds I used one third compost, one third topsoil and one third sand. The result is growing the best garden I've ever seen.

Every time I've tried to grow anything on the compost pile I've ended up with awesome foliage, but no fruit!

ohoh... Sequee
Maybe that means not enough nutrition.

I thought too much foliage and no fruit meant too much mitrogen? Sheesh - I never get this stuff straight. And I never give up either. Every year I end up tossing SOMETHING on the pile. The only thing that seems happy to be there is the mint - and I think THAT will grow anywhere. Hmmmm - that just gave me a thought. Maybe that would be a good place to try some catmint! At least the kidz would be happy little furballs!

That's what I thought, too, but then I was worried that it wasn't finished composting enough, so that there would be a shortage of nitrogen. I mixed in some bone meal when I planted, so that should give phosphorus - isn't that what makes plants flower?

Researching.

Ya got me! But I will be looking forward to your report! ~:-)

Hope it's a good one, since all my vegetables are in compost filled bins.
:-)
Thank you.

Sounds like your compost is good stuff, though, so you'll probably be fine. What all do you have going?

Yeah, to much nitrogen., You will need to mix with top soil. Or go hydroponic if your a real control freak:-)

There is a couple in my area that plants directly in the compost pile.

They order mushroom compost by the dump truck load. The first year I saw them do it, all they did was knock the top off the pile to level it a bit and they planted right on the pile. Every yr since, they've leveled it off better, but still grow in the compost without mixing anything in it.

I was certain it wouldn't work when I saw what they were doing, but it did, and they have a beautiful garden that produces fantastic amounts of veggies every year.

Jackie

Oh, good! Thanks for posting, Jackie.

You're welcome.
Like I said, I didn't think it would work and I am still a bit baffled that it does work. It does though, wonders never cease. hehe

I think alot must have to do with what's in the compost. I've seen JRush's compost pile and it sometimes looks better than my garden!!!

It will be fun to see what you come up with!

Yeah...I hope it is some food! However, I'm joining the vegetable club of the organic farm down the street, just in case.

Live and learn, I guess. I could have purchased half topsoil and half compost, but at the moment I had thought I could also haul the dirt in from another part of the property via wheelbarrow and I do have some incredible soil.

I have a part of my garden that i ended up transplanting into composted horse manure. The only reason is that when i tried rototilling, it was almost impossible. It was like playdoh. I dumped the manure and spread it about 12 inches deep and tried tilling again. It seems to be too easy of a solution and i'm not too hopeful, but i'll let you know the results.

A local nurserywoman told me today that it wouldn't have the minerals and structure the soil has and so it won't produce much fruit.

Fooey.

Well, ya never know until you ask...

And everything's planted, so...I don't think I'm going to dig it up - I'll hope for the best and stick with the plan, I guess.

Keep us updated, I'd really like to know if this works for you.
I'm going to try to get over to that couple's house and ask them about their garden. I'm really curious now just why theirs produces so well.

That would be great.
It seems, if one can grow in soilless mixes, that all compost would be fine if the nutrients were provided.

I have tomatoes in the ground with lots of compost as well as in a box with only compost. Different varieties, though, so it won't be a good test. I wish I could see what the roots are doing.

The tomatoes(Black Plum and Principe Borghese) in compost have flowers, the tomatoes (Hillybilly, Cherokee Purple, Ace 55) in the ground do not. 6 of 8 peppers (Gypsy, Italian Frying, Chicken Heart, and Pasillo) have buds, tomatillos have flowers, cantaloupe has several buds. Tomatillos are in cinder block holes, 2 high and seem quite happy. Watermelon in soil and compost is growing sluggishly. Beans and cukes coming along from seed.

I have this Mighty Plant that I've just realized is not a natural fertilizer; don't know how I overlooked it when I bought it via co-op two years ago, but I'm not sure I want to use it. Apparently the fertilizer is made by Peters, which makes Scott.

Anyone use it on their vegetables?

It sounds like things are coming along alright. You've got blooms? That's good news.

I've never used it. As a matter of fact, I never fertilize my vegetable garden with anything, really. I use good compost and leaves tilled in real well, plant and water well twice a day.

Sometimes, I will make a compost 'tea' and pour it around the plants or into soda bottles/milk jugs buried in the ground (neck above ground for filling) next to the root system. The jugs have holes poked in them so that the tea slowly leaks out.
I always had plenty of veggies for me and some to share.
I don't have a gardern this yr :-( I miss the fresh veggies. Maybe I can get a fall garden in. I still have time for that.
Jackie

Well, I probably won't use it.

I planted my raised veggie beds in straight compost, already have lots of ears on corn, harvested okra, have blooms on watermelons, canteloupe, already have cucumbers forming, pole beans blooming and forming. I suppose it probably depends upon the compost, but mine seems to be working. I have added blood meal, mostly to keep deer and rabbits away, and also fertilized with plant-tone and bio-tone starter plus.

Mary,
I'd be interested in seeing pictures of your raised garden beds.
If you have some to share. :-)
Jackie

I have some that are older, will post them here, tomorrow I'll take some more recent, they are really full now.

These are the beds filled with compost before planting

This pic was taken a bit later, after a third bed was added

Closer up, those last 2 pics were taken May 26, I'll get some new ones tomorrow.

Those beds are about 12 inches deep, I used the plans from sunset to build them

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,1152183,00.html

The compost I get is from the municipal composting facility in Springfield, Missouri. It is a yardwaste recycling center.

http://www.springfieldmo.gov/community/recycling/yrcproducts.html

Thanks for sharing the pics and the link to the plans for the raised beds.

I've thought about trying that so I'd have more control over the soil and weeds but never have taken the plunge.

My sandy soil sucks the nutrients out of everything so fast. It's hard to keep up sometimes.

I get my compost from local composters that compost from their pastures/barns and gardens using a little mushroom compost 'starter' from the big guys.

Pics from this morning

Corn and canteloupes

Corn in front, cucumbers in middle, beans in back

Corn and canteloupes in front, some peppers, onions and okra in there too, watermelons coming out the back

Okra pods

Pole beans

Mary, thanks for the encouraging posts and pics. I think raised beds are the only way to go for me - even with fabulous soil. I have a lot of dogs and they define the area and keep obnoxious creeping weeds out. Mine are much taller - which also helps with the stooping over. I imagine I could sit in a chair and work in them if needed (18" deep).

So far, my garden seems to be happy, but I've fertilized with Mighty Plant and before that, some fish emulsion. The compost is from a similar facility as yours. The first load I bought was screened. The second was not - and that had a lot of stuff in it that wasn't decomposed, which concerned me.

So far, and this may be an incorrect observation, a (minor) difficulty I'm having is watering so that the compost soaks up the water and not just filters it right out. I think if I had soil mixed in, that process would be a little slower. I more or less flood irrigate and in the compost beds, the water just makes a path straight down and out.It means I have to pay more attention to the watering, but once it's wet all the way through, it seems to hold moisture for quite a while. I need to get a moisture meter to really understand what's going on in there.

Mary, when did you plant? My beans and cukes were planted 6/7/08; no sign of flowers yet, but they are definately growing. Cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon were all starts and all are flowering, some with little fruits. That's not the case for the tomatoes in the ground, transplanted sooner than these by at least a week.