Barb, I recently learned that unfinished compost inhibits seed germination and root growth. I was having trouble with seeds not germinating and plants struggling to grow in my garden beds that I had added a lot of compost to. Then I found out that if the compost is unfinished, plants won't grow.

If it's not a lot of compost, I think you'd be safe turning it into the soil. But if it's a lot of compost, like two wheelbarrows full, you'll have to do what it takes to make it finish.

Some people seem to have a problem with seed germination and unfinished compost that I have not seen in over 50 years of gardening. I have seen people use unfinished compost as a mulch on their gardens with no problems related to plant growth, and I have used compost as my potting soil for many years now with no problem with plant growth or seed germination.
You could use that compost as a side dressing, not necessarily mixed into the soil, and if it does suppress plant growth that then would be an advantage because it would aid in "weed" suppression.

I use my unfinished/partially finished compost as a layer in my lasagna beds. I usually use it as my first (bottom)layer, so it is well buried in case there are animals around. I sometimes plant directly into these beds as soon as I'm finished, although I don't always dig as far down as that layer, and things grow well for me.

I've never tried starting seeds in it, although goodness knows whatever seeds are in the compost always grow like gangbusters. I put some decorative gourds in my compost last fall; I now have a new bed that is completely covered with squash plants, growing like mad. Since I haven't gotten around to planting that bed yet, I've decided to let the squash/gourds grow and see what happens.

I'm not sure what I will do with my unfinished compost once I make all the beds I need. I guess I will have to be patient and let it finish in a pile somewhere.

Dee

I'd bury it in the vegetable garden - see "Trench composting"

I also have not had a problem with "unfinished" compost inhibiting seed germination. It might be an unban legend or it might be a difference in compost materials.

The plant matter found on the floor of any forest is basically "unfinished" compost, and the plants in these forests, especially rainforests, seem to do just fine.

Socks,

While what you say is true about the forest remember that the composting most of us do is hot composting. The forest uses a cold composting. The forest allows things to accumulate in layers with the new stuff piling up on top of the older stuff. This process takes a longer time and is probobly a better method recycling. However, we are too impatient to wait 18 months for usable compost. We want it fast. And actally there is nothing wrong with making copost the "hot" way, it is just that it is important to understand just how the two processed differ from each other. Actually, it is not even important to know how they differ, only that they do.

The forest does not mix the material like we do. It lets it sit on top and slowly work its way to the microbes as more material is piled on top. We see the same thing when we lift up, even a thin layer of leaves from around our yard - even on concrete. Left long enough a two inch layer of leaves in the corner of the yard will be brown on top and jet black on the bottom.

Hot composting does not belong in the garden, it belongs in our compost bins. Do not try to do hot composting in the garden by putting too much raw material into the soil. We change the situation considerably when we put uncomposted material into the soil as opposed to on top. Mulching our gardens is different. Here we put the material on top of the soil as as moisture barrier and a temperature regulator. But in this case we are doing the exact same thing that happens in the forest. The mulch decomposes from the bottom up in a slow but steady rate - never getting hot.

Puttig a lot of raw material into the garden puts a strain on the microbial matter and results in heating up the soil. In hot areas this can be deadly to garden plants. It also results in excess nitrogen use on the part of the microbes. This can take away nitrogen from the plants that we are trying to get to grow.

I am not a soil chemist or a soil engineer. But this much I do know, hot composting is not natures usual composting method, cold is. Don't put uncomposted material into your garden/flower beds. If it is uncomposted use it as a mulch or put it in the compost bin where it will be composted in a hot process. Nature does not mix the two processes, we shouldn't either.

Tom

I put unfinished compost in my garden all the time. It isn't hot, just unfinished, I'm not that good at getting my bins hot. But, I do not add weeds to my compost bins. The last thing I want is weed seeds in my garden. There are times when the bins are full but there are more greens to be added so the oldest bin is emptied. It is less painful than throwing greens out to the garbage man.

If you want to try getting a more finished product in your bins before applying to the garden, a couple suggestions:
- add some browns to your kitchen scraps (dry leaves, paper, paper bags, pizza box, etc) and mix them in a bit with some moisture
- if you can manage it, add your piles together (dump the kitchen scraps pile into the weed pile or vice versa). the sheer volume might help kick things along.