Hi echoes,

Well I add compost usually in the spring. I only bring the compost up to the plants....but don't let the compost touch the plants because it might burn them. What happens with the wind and rain is that the compost evenually evens out. You don't want to bury the crowns of your plants as some like peonies only like about an inch or 2 over their heads....so you have to be careful there.

One reason not to add compost in the fall is if you have mice or voles. It stays warmer and they like that. I was adding compost in the fall, till last year when I had a lot of vole damage......now as a preventitive, I'm just adding it in the spring. And this year with the new beds, the rest of the garden won't even be getting that.

The other thing if your compost is a few years old, you can level it in closer to your plants with less chance of it burning them....but still don't bury your plants.

Hope this helps.

Sierra :)

6" of compost seems like a tremendous amount to me. Even 4" seems like a lot, though I have put down that much in some years. I apply compost in the spring and after the ground freezes in very late fall or early winter.
2" should be sufficient and you shouldn't have problems with different levels (As your plants grow, you won't be able to see the levels of soil at all in most places).

Patti

Echoes, if you are starting a new bed in neglected soil, that much amendment is appropriate. And you have to till it in deeply. In established beds you shouldn't have to put down more than an inch or two. If you add compost before, say, the peonies come up, they should be fine. If you can see the new growth, keep compost back from the crown. Compost seems to lose its burn factor in a few days with proper water.

If it's properly composted material, there should be no 'burn'. The burning comes from a high nitrogen content, like you would get with rather fresh manures - properly composted yard/kitchen waste will not produce this effect. I add compost on a regular basis as a mulch when I clean a bed, pretty much any time of the year that I have the time to devote to such activity. I shoot for at least two inches - anything less loses effectiveness as a mulch but will still add needed organic matter. If I am doing this in winter or early spring (only appropriate for those in all year gardening climates), I will spread it over the crown of any herbaceous perennials that have not yet emerged, like hostas, etc. They will grow through the compost mulch easily and benefit from the added nutrient input compost provides. Any plants that have a woody base or retain any foliage, I mulch just upto, but not touching the plant. That's not so much for any chance of burning, but to reduce the potential for rot and other fungal issues due to compost's ability to retain moisture.

This might sound like a dumb question, but is the cow manure that you can buy in local stores (bagged) -- is that the same as compost? Will that burn your plants, or is it properly aged? Or is it just considered fertilizer, and compost is something else?

You all answered my question. I was wondering because I have read so many times about folks adding compost and then I worried about the plants not making it through the compost... I will continue to do what I have been, probably should spread it more evenly though. I have used the steer manure you buy from stores - like it better than mushroom. Mushroom is so splintery my hands ache after I work with it. Maybe it was the brand I bought but much prefer steer. I believe steer in the bags is composted and ready to use.

Compost is defined as organic matter that has achieved a state of decomposition through the actions of microbes. Fully composted material has a rich, dark, soil-like appearance and a pleasant earthy aroma. Typically, it should be broken down to the extent that you can no longer distinguish what its original components are. Composted manures are often just well aged - the time factor involved is usually sufficient for the natural microorganisms to do their work and the excess nitrogen to volatize or leach out. It too should have an earthy smell and look like dark soil. If it smells too much like a feedlot, stable or cow pasture, it's too fresh to be applied directly and needs further aging. Same with chicken manure, mushroom compost, etc. Because animal manures are often just aged and not really 'composted', which involves the generation of considerable heat, they can produce a number of weeds from seeds and grains not fully digested by the animal in question. You need the heat of of a proper composting process to kill off seeds and any pathogens.

Just an additional note - mushroom compost tends to have a rather high salt content and this can also cause the 'burning' referred to above. It can also contribute to a high pH in alkaline soils.