The Remarkable Benefits of Compost and Amendments

One man’s trash is another man’s...garden? Well, it certainly can be. One category of materials we offer---which is perhaps the least understood---is compost and amendments.

You might think of compost as a pile of rotting banana peels in a tin container in the corner of your kitchen. And you wouldn’t be wrong. Compost and amendments are rich, nourishing additions to soil. They help keep all sorts of gardens and plants looking healthy and fresh.

Let’s dig (both literally and figuratively) a little deeper into the varied uses of compost and amendments around your yard and garden.

Add compost and amendments to any soil

The issue with chemical fertilizers is that they only add nutrients to soil. Compost and amendments directly improve the soil by changing its texture and creating better drainage. These changes, in turn, establish better plant health.

What’s so magical and versatile about compost and amendments, are that they can be added to any soil out there. Think of them as a catch-all soil supplement. Even better, a good amendment will help to balance out your soil. For example, an amendment can help stiff, sandy soil retain more water, and on the flip side, help rigid, clay-like soil retain less water. We have a Redwood Soil Compost that will do the trick quite nicely. 

You can add compost and amendments to container gardens, flower and vegetable gardens, bushes, shrubs, and trees, and on older lawns.

Check out this terrific explanation of soil amendments from Stephen Orr on Better Home and Garden’s short series The Dirt.