How to tell if compost is ready for use
The best way to tell if your compost is ready for use is if it looks like soil or if it still resembles whatever you put in your composting area. If it looks like soil and does not look like the things you put in to be composted, it is ready for use! Another easy way to tell if it is ready, is if it smells earthy, it is ready for use! If you are still unsure after these two techniques, there is one more you can try. Put some in a sealed container and remove the air from it; a plastic bag works best for this. Let it sit in the bag for a few days and after this open it up. If you detect any sort of funky smell coming from it, your compost is not quite ready for use yet and needs more time to decompose.
Where to use compost
As far as usage of your compost, there really is not a limit to where you can use it. Any plant that uses soil will love a compost home. It can be sprinkled and then raked into flower beds or gardens; it can used to fill outdoor containers; you can put some in your indoor plants as well to help maintain nutrient rich soil. It can also be spread around a newly planted tree to help it grow. Compost is especially helpful in enclosed raised beds which over time lose soil health. Essentially, compost is good to use just about anywhere you might try to grow something. It will provide the necessary nutrients to the soil to improve the growth of whatever you might try to grow.
Helpful tips to use compost more effectively
Generally speaking, indoor plants do not need to have compost added in the amount or frequency of an outdoor garden. This is mostly because an outdoor garden will have more plants removing more nutrients compared to an indoor plant. For indoor plants you only need to add compost every 6 months or so and you do not need to add more than a handful or two provided it is not a large plant.
For outdoor gardens, there are a few different approaches you can take. In the fall, add a layer of compost that is a few inches thick across the entire surface. Then in the springtime, till the soil so the layer of compost you added in the fall gets mixed in thoroughly with the topsoil. In addition to this, it would also be helpful to add a small handful to each hole as you plant something in within your garden.
What not to do when using compost
The most important thing to avoid when using compost is to ensure it is actually decomposed completely. If food scraps are still present or not completely decomposed, you may attract critters or pests and by removing it from your composter, you will significantly slow down the process. Be patient and wait until your compost looks and smells like soil.
Once it’s ready, use like you would regular soil. Be sure to till it in well with existing soil and plant as you normally would. You may be able to cut back on fertilizer when adding compost as this soil will be much more nutritious for plants than regular garden soil.
These plants — Citronella Geranium, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree and many herbs — have been proven to ward off pesky insects. And the essential oil of these plants is the super concentrated form. But a vial of essential oil can be hard to find, expensive, and comes with a bit of learning curve if you’re going to use the raw form. And besides, who has time for another DIY project?
This garden favorite is easy to grow and versatile in so many dishes, make sure you plant lots because you’ll always find a use for it! Basil can be started from seed directly in the garden but will take some time to harvest. Planting from seedling will give you quicker results. Basil prefers full sun, well-drained but consistently moist soil, and needs warmth to grow. If your soil dries out quickly, mulch around the base of the plant (be sure to choose organic mulch!). It does have a tendency to flower so be sure to trim off blossoms to promote growth (they are edible!). Not fussy, basil just needs regular watering and occasional fertilizer. The more you harvest, the faster it grows and will keep producing until the first heavy frost.
Mosquitoes hate the scent! Especially Lemon Basil and Cinnamon Basil – combine a few plants in your patio containers to keep the bugs away. The full foliage makes a nice addition to containers; just rustle the leaves for a burst of scent; and you’ll have ready access to herbs for dinner. Old-time gardeners always planted basil near tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus to repel thrips and beetles. Folklore also goes that basil planted near tomatoes make the fruit sweeter. Definitely worth a try and you’ll need both ingredients for our killer Caprese recipe (
Basil can be harvested as needed but try to pick in the morning as the taste will be the sweetest. To pick, just snip leaves off the plant or cut a whole stem (the latter will cause plant to bush out more). Rinse leaves in cool water and spread on towels or use a salad spinner to dry out. If you aren’t using right away, submerge stems in water as with a flower bouquet until ready to use. Do not store in the refrigerator as this will affect taste. To strip leaves off stems, just hold upside and run fingers down the length of the branch.
Milkweed grows in a sturdy upright pattern with large leaves that turn from light green to dark green and sometimes to red as they mature. The plant can reach up to six-feet tall and produces a multi-clustered pinkish purple flower that is typically as large as a tennis ball and blooms throughout the summer, if regularly pruned. In addition to Monarchs, many other pollinators will visit these flowers so this plant does well if combined with other flowering plants. If leaves or stalks are broken, they ooze a white, milky substance which gives the plant its name. Large oblong seed pods eventually form with a hard husky shell and are often used in dried floral arrangements. When broken open, the silky seeds will float all over and can be a bit messy.
Milkweed requires full sun, light soil, and can handle drier conditions once established. This plant is also perennial (assuming you choose a variety native to your region) and spreads rapidly through a rhizome or taproot growing out from the plant. Planting just a few plants this year will eventually help you establish a large patch over time and will require some cutting back if it outgrows your flowerbed. While Milkweed will not fit every landscape design, there are many ways to include this amazing plant in your garden. Be creative and put the plant’s tall, sturdy structure to use to complement other more delicate plants. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
The best and easiest way is to plant a cottage-style garden. These freeform gardens typically include hardy plants such as Hollyhocks, Tall Garden Phlox, Climbing Roses, and Daisies and it’s easy to tuck a few Milkweeds into that mix. As the summer goes, each plant will flower, inviting birds and butterflies from all over. Monarchs will feed from many different plants and you’ll most likely attract lots of other beneficial insects who’ll work hard to pollinate your garden or fruit trees.
Monarchs are the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration. Most other butterflies are able to overwinter as larvae or pupae but Monarchs cannot survive the cold. Relying on environmental changes, they know when it’s time to head South and will travel between 50 and 100 miles per day, taking up to two months to reach their winter home in Mexico or Southern California. They start returning to the Southern U.S. in late February, making pit stops along the way to refuel and reproduce. Over the course of the summer and their travels, they will produce four generations of Monarchs, each one travelling further North. The fourth generation does not reproduce the first year and are the ones who travel to overwinter and restart the cycle in the Spring.