This week I closed the case on my soil investigation with the delivery of 7 cubic yards of Nature’s Way 3/8″ Compost Leaf Mold.
It was still warm and you can see steam rising from the mound.
We emptied the three raised beds and placed the original soil on the driveway.
With both soils side by side on the driveway, I call it “The Great Divide”.
One is very dark (the Leaf Mold Compost) and the other is lighter, containing more elements of structure for the soil (enriched topsoil and sand).
Per Nature’s Way recommendation, we added 1/3 of the Leaf Mold Compost to 2/3 of the original soil mix from Living Earth Technology.
Adding one part compost and two parts soil, it was mixed thoroughly together as the beds were refilled.
We filled the beds to the top to allow for some settling.
There are about 5 cubic yards of compost still on the driveway along with about 2 cubic yards of the original soil. I’ll use the topsoil to fill low spots on the lawn, and then treat the entire lawn with a sprinkling of the compost. Any remaining compost I will use a top dressing in my flower beds, container gardens, and landscape beds.
The complete story can be found on my Boxed Dirt blog at the Houston Chronicle’s website.
Jacqueline D'Elia Freelance garden writer, photographer, wordpress blog designer, and computer geek. Earned a BS in Horticulture at Texas A&M. She gardens in Houston Texas and enjoys growing organic food in her raised bed garden. You can follow her garden antics on Twitter @JDElia.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow oh wow, Jackie! That is some fine looking stuff going into the raised beds! The raised beds are mighty fine looking as well. I am supremely envious.
Frances
Thanks Frances. Hopefully this new revised batch will work better.
Jackie, the “Great Divide” photo surely shows the difference in the compost and the original soil. I hope the new mixture does the trick for you!
Phew! You deserve to rest and watch your seeds do all the work from here on out! Hopefully with better results. Have you tackled worm composting yet? That stuff is supposed to be the best fertilizer there is out there and a way to dispose of your kitchen scraps. I haven’t gotten to the harvesting part with mine, but it’s pretty easy so far.
All the yummy compost. I bet your whole yard is thanking you. Can’t you hear the voices. It looks so rich and luscious– for plants, that is. Good work!!!