Everyone wants a bountiful garden filled with colorful flowers and delicious, health-enhancing produce. Give your plants the boost they need with a powerful combination of fertilizers and compost. Get on your way to a thriving garden with these composting tips from Jobe’s.

What to Include in Your Compost

Humus is organic matter that nourishes your soil and helps it hold water. When you compost discarded veggies, fruits, and certain other materials, your soil is enriched with nutrients, including the nitrogen that’s missing from so much of our soil these days. Skip the garlic and onion, though, as these will prevent the beneficial earthworms from gracing your garden. Although humus can also come from meat and dairy, adding these items to your compost might create odors and attract pests.

Green (nitrogen-heavy) and brown materials (carbon-heavy) are the best for your garden, providing soil microbes with protein and energy to break down the mix. However, it’s all about balance: too many green materials will turn the compost into smelly slush, and too many brown materials will slow the speed at which the breakdown occurs. Here are a few of the materials we recommend including:

  • Wood chips
  • Coffee grounds
  • Crushed egg shells
  • Shredded cardboard
  • Loose or bagged tea leaves
  • Disease-free plant material
  • Non-glossy, black-and-white newspaper

This list represents a good mix of carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. While compost creates ideal soil conditions to help your plants flourish, fertilizing your garden sends nutrients directly to plants. Like calcium and magnesium, fertilizers and compost work together to create optimal growing conditions. Add a Jobe’s Organics fertilizer to your compost for a one-two nutrient punch.

How to Compost

Keep a container with lid handy while preparing meals, and place fruit and vegetable peels and ends in it as you go. You’ll prevent food waste while adding to your garden’s nutrient supply. You can even put to good use the overripe produce that would have otherwise been tossed. Place your materials outdoors in an enclosed compost bin or invest in a tumbler so you can turn the soil frequently and easily. Turning your compost insulates materials and provides air to microbes to keep them active. Grass clippings, young weeds, and our compost starter jump-start the composting process, which can take several months.

Composting is an environmentally friendly way to provide ideal growing conditions for your garden. Fertilizing supplements your plants’ nutrient profile directly, enhancing their flavor and nutrition. Start collecting your compost scraps today, and browse Jobe’s’ selection of fertilizers to enjoy your best gardening experience yet.