Compost Breakdown

What is compost? Just about everyone knows that compost is a beneficial soil amendment, but all compost is not created equal. The highest quality compost is a product of your garden’s environment.  

When you are spreading compost in your garden, you may think you are adding nutrients directly to your plants’ roots. However, compost is much more than a fertilizer. Yes, compost gives nutrients to your plants, but not in the way you might think. A high-quality local compost introduces native microbiology, which digests and delivers nutrients to your plants. By adding compost, you’re boosting the ecosystem within your soil.  

Local microbiology is the most important ingredient in a high-quality compost. Compost incorporates the bacterial and fungal networks that make nutrients within the soil accessible to our gardens. By using native biology (weeds, grasses and tree branches) in our compost, we boost the micro-organisms that are already thriving in our environment. For this reason, the highest quality compost for a farm or garden needs to be created on site, or with native biology.  

Compost is a living, breathing part of your garden. By spreading local compost, you are cultivating the life that is already in your soil, and, with the right care, that life will expand. For that reason, small-scale, local compost is better for your garden than any commercial compost on the market. 

At Chatfield Farms we have been building a small compost system to enhance our soil health with ingredients sourced from right here at our farm. Next time you are at Chatfield, come by and take a look!