How to Use Compost
Harvesting Compost
This is the first step in using the compost you have produced. The material will undergo a transformation, and instead of looking like the materials you incorporated into your backyard compost container, the materials will take on a soil- or humus-like appearance. When the entire bin has undergone this transformation, it is time to harvest the compost.
To harvest your compost, we recommend spreading it out on a tarp and leaving it exposed to the air. Drying out the material will work to cure the compost. It will also make this material easier to spread. You may also use the screen technique. Screen material into wheelbarrows for finished product. Toss larger pieces back into pile for additional composting.
Common Ways to Use Compost
Soil Amendment Finished compost can be turned into the soil as a soil amendment. As much as six inches of compost can be added to your soil each year. When used as a soil amendment, compost reacts with soil to slowly release both plant nutrients and essential trace elements. Compost can be turned into the soil in the spring in preparation for planting. It can also be spread on soil at the end of the gardening season and allowed to leach into the soil. If only a small amount of compost is available, it can be incorporated in the seed furrow, or a handful can be added to each transplant hole of annuals, perennials, or vegetables. Large amounts of compost can be used to plant trees, shrubs, and vegetable gardens, or to repair or replace lawn areas.
Mulching Compost is not mulch, yet it can be applied in the same ways that mulches are used. Compost is a stable product that will not deprive your soil of nitrogen. Spread compost two to six inches thick around plants, trees, shrubs, and exposed slopes. This will deter weeds, prevent crusting, curtail erosion, attract earthworms, and conserve water.
Potting Mix
Finished compost can be combined with equal parts of sand
and soil to create an excellent potting mix. The compost
should be screened to ensure that only fine particles are
used in the mix. A simple screen can be made of ½-inch or
other small-gauge fencing material and a wooden frame.