Why Is Compost Needed For Vegetable Gardening Nursery Landscaping Guide

Why Is Compost Needed For Vegetable Gardening?

By Pixie Matthews

Why is compost needed for vegetable gardening? This is a question a lot of people ask. They see a bag of chemical fertilizer and think that is all you need for the garden. Chemical fertilizer can poison your garden soil if too much is added. In one year you may have a fantastic garden, then nothing grows for the next few years.

Compost allows you to add natural nutrients to the soil and to help keep the water in the soil. If you have clay soil, or the soil is too sandy, then compost will help make a more nutritious soil for your plants to thrive.

Necessary Elements Of A Garden

If you have ever planted a vegetable garden, you know that there are certain elements that must be necessary in order for your plants to thrive. One is sunlight, and most plants require sunlight in abundance.

The next factor is water and plenty of it, especially in the early stages of your garden. And the final factor that will help your garden to thrive is compost. But what is this substance, and why is compost needed for vegetable gardening?

Provide Nutrients In The Soil For Your Plants

It is first important to understand exactly what compost is. This substance is organic matter that is added to the soil in gardens for a variety of reasons. When you ask why compost is needed for vegetable gardening, the first answer will be chemical in nature.

Compost will stabilize the pH in your soil, if it is the proper mix. To understand this balance, it is best to have your soil tested to determine what the pH of your soil currently is. This way you can adjust the alkaline levels of your compost to make the pH in your soil friendly for your plants.

Compost Will Add Natural Nutrients To The Soil

There is another chemical answer as to why compost is needed for vegetable gardening. Compost will add much needed nutrients to your soil, so that your plants can thrive in the soil that they are growing in. Compost is generally recognized as being high in important elements like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. It is also rich in micronutrients that are important for healthy vegetable crops.

Helps The Soil To Hold Water

There are also physical reasons for why compost is needed for vegetable gardening. Sometimes the physical makeup of the soil in you area is not conducive to growing lush crops. Perhaps the texture of the soil is too clay-like or too sandy to hold water well.

Adding compost to the mix can adjust the consistency of your soil, so that plants will grow bigger and fuller in your garden beds. Compost can also aid in moisture retention, allowing you to grow healthier plants with lower water requirements.

So when you ask why compost is needed for vegetable gardening, the reasons are numerous and significant. The next logical question is where does compost come from?

Your Choice, Buy Ready Made Compost Or Make Your Own

You can choose to buy the appropriate organic matter from your local nursery or garden shop or make your own with homemade or store-bought compost bins for storage. Making your own compost is a great way to help your garden grow and recycle at the same time.

You can get advice on the best method to create your own compost by asking staff at the garden nursery where you can buy your compost bin. They can advise on the best plants you can add from your garden, uneaten food from your meal table. You will find a lot of the food that is not eaten on your meal table can be placed on the compost bin to feed your garden.

Using your compost bin to provide natural organic fertilizer to feed your plants in your garden and pots will help stimulate your plants and receive all the nutrients they require.

These are some of the reasons why compost is needed for vegetable gardening.

About the Author:
Pixie Matthews has written a number of articles on gardening and landscaping including Organic Vegetable Gardening, Organic Vegetable Gardening Products, Vegetable Gardening Tricks, Spring Vegetable Gardening, Composting, Compost Heap.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.

Little Known Gardening Facts....

How long will my garden last?
Gardens can last several months if taken care of properly. The growing season on vegetables differs and in fact, there are several different times of year that certain vegetables will grow. The best resource to find out a particular growing season for your vegetable is a farmer’s almanac or a garden center.

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