How to Use Compost

Establishing a New Garden

Compost should be spread evenly over the entire area at an average depth of 1-2 inches. Next, use a rotary tiller or shovel to incorporate the compost to a depth of 6-8 inches. Higher application rates of compost may be used if the compost is incorporated to a greater depth.

Maintaining an Existing Garden

To avoid damaging already established roots, add compost in a thin layer on top of your soil- like a mulch. This will help conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and will add some nutrients into the soil.

Using Compost For Lawn Care

Top dressing your lawn can be done on an annual basis, generally the best time to do this is in the spring, just before the growing season. You will want to rent a core aerator to harmlessly remove small plugs of grass over your entire lawn. Next, spread the compost over your lawn in a thin layer (1/4”- 1/2”) and rake into the aeration holes.

Using Compost as Backfill For Planting Trees & Shrubs

When planting a new plant, you will want to dig a hole slightly shallower than and at least 2 times as wide as the container the plant came in. You should uniformly blend your compost with the existing soil you dug out. Your compost to soil ratio should be:

• 1 part compost, 2 parts soil or
• 1 part compost, 1 part soil (50/50 mix)

Jumping worms

Our compost is jumping worm free

Material that is composted at a permitted industrial composting facility, such as ours, is required by federal regulation to meet the Process to Further Reduce Pathogens (PFRP). This requires us to do regular temperature monitoring in our compost piles to ensure they are meeting a minimum temperature of 131 degrees F for at least 15 consecutive days.

These temperatures are able to kill any pathogens, weed seeds, and invasive species that may have initially gone into the compost process. Jumping worms and their cocoons die off at temperatures of 104 degrees F, so there is no chance for them to survive this process.

Our finished compost is kept on paved asphalt surface far away from any incoming materials, so there is very little chance any jumping worms would be crawling into the finished piles of product from the surrounding area.

When news articles and agencies talk about jumping worms spreading through compost- what they mean is compost from non-permitted compost sites that do not meet the stringent time and temperature requirements that permitted facilities meet. Their statements have caused a lot of confusion for the general public.

People should not be worried about using compost from a permitted facility. However, it should be noted that if jumping worms are already present in their yard, compost will not eliminate them.