Compost, what good is it?

While living in Pine Cove is generally a good thing, trying to have a garden or grow things up here can be a challenge. Between the short growing season, the poor soil, the altitude and the lack of moisture, one can begin to wonder if gardening is an exercise in futility.

The good news is that you can have a sucessful garden, but it will take a little work. One of the best things you can do to ensure gardening sucess, is to add compost to your soil. This applies to your native plants as well as any areas you wish to plant in. This is beneficial in several ways. In an article written by Gary Nakamura, of the University of California, in July 2003 entitled Living in Southern California Forests, he briefly explains the benefits of compost.

"In California’s Mediterranean climate, water is usually limited during the growing season. Most of the precipitation occurs in the winter and runs off. All the water plants have for growth is that retained in the soil, so the depth, texture (sandy, clay, rocky), and organic matter content determines how much water will be available to plants. Protecting the soil from erosion and compaction is important to maintaining its waterholding capacity."

Now, if you are trying to grow vegetables for instance, you are going to have to water your garden. Since we are all trying to conserve water, you certainly don't want to waste it in the garden. Every drop needs to count. By amending your soil with compost, whether bought from the store or made in your own yard, you are not only increasing the nutrient content of your soil, but you are improving the soils ability to absorb and hold water, thereby making the watering you do much more efficient. If you go one step further and add a layer of mulch after the garden is planted, the mulch will help retain the moisture and in turn, save water. If you use a natural material for your mulch, such as bark chips, which we offer for free here at Pine Cove Water District, you will have the added benefit of the bark chips slowly decomposing over time and themselves turning into compost as well.

Now that we are in the throws of autumn, it is the perfect time to get out there and amend your soil. There are many types of soil amendments available at hardware stores, home improvement centers and garden centers. Starting now will enable you to reap big rewards come spring.

Throught the month of November, we are giving away a free bag of compost to the first 50 people who come to the water district and ask for it!