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Swapped my store bought compost for a pile in the corner of my yard
I used to buy those bags of compost from Home Depot every spring, spending around $40 each year. Then last March I started a small pile with kitchen scraps and leaves from my neighbor's yard. After 6 months I had enough dark crumbly stuff to cover all my raised beds. Has anyone else made their own compost and noticed a difference in plant growth compared to the bagged stuff?
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leodavis16d ago
Nah I'm gonna be the guy that disagrees. "dark crumbly stuff" from your backyard pile is just not the same as what you get in those bags. Those commercial composts are heat treated and screened so you don't get weed seeds or random pathogens. My neighbor did the whole DIY compost thing and his garden got overrun with tomato sprouts that were definitely not from his tomatoes. Plus the nutrient mix in bagged stuff is actually tested and consistent. Your pile might look good but you have no idea what the N-P-K numbers actually are. I'd rather spend the $40 and know my plants are getting exactly what they need.
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drew5516d agoMost Upvoted
Whoa, I mean yeah it's compost, not rocket surgery. Your neighbor's tomato sprouts are annoying but like just pull them out? $40 is a lot for dirt you could make yourself for free. Is the extra control really worth it for most of us?
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You have no idea what the N-P-K numbers actually are" - that part got me. Commercial compost isn't really tested for N-P-K the same way fertilizer is. It's not like Miracle Gro where they guarantee a specific number. Most bagged compost just says "organic matter" on the label. The real difference is the heat treatment kills weed seeds, sure, but your own pile can get just as hot if you manage it right. And honestly, the nutrient mix in homemade compost changes depending on what you put in, same as the store stuff changes batch to batch. I've used both and my plants did fine either way. It's dirt, not rocket fuel.
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