Why Fall Compost is Important

Gardeners and sustainability enthusiasts frequently include leaf composting on their fall to-do lists. By mixing carbon-rich materials to form an efficient compost pile that decomposes quickly, leaf composting provides year-round nutrition for soil, plants and lawns.

Fall is an excellent time of year to fill your compost pile with readily available, carbon-rich material – such as leaves. Make sure that they are chopped into smaller pieces to speed decomposition.

Gardening

As temperatures cool off, gardeners’ thoughts switch from prepping for summer planting to improving soil. A key way to do that is through adding compost; doing this during autumn can replenish depleted soil, making it healthier and richer for next year’s plants, while helping prevent leaching of nutrients during winter rainstorms.

Soils and compost piles are home to millions of microorganisms that act like the heartbeat of healthy soil, recycling nutrients into plant food sources while simultaneously providing space for roots to penetrate deeply into the ground. A healthy compost heap must contain an equal balance of carbon and nitrogen materials in order to feed microbes; leafy material works particularly well at providing carbon, while grass clippings or kitchen scraps supply necessary nitrogen – the optimal ratio being four parts dry materials to one part greens (foliage is especially good at providing carbon). To speed up decomposition faster, chop or shred leaves into smaller pieces – keep moist enough that decomposition occurs naturally –

By adding the appropriate compost at the right time and place, it can quickly transform into a humus-rich soil amendment, aiding its structure while holding more moisture, thus reducing evaporation of nutrients. Over time this also helps buffer pH levels towards neutrality, increasing soil accessibility for plant roots.

Implementing compost applications during the fall gives it ample time to degrade into stable humus before the cold of winter arrives, helping prevent leaching of nutrients while providing essential organic matter that protects roots during cold temperatures and allows them to absorb essential nutrients as they develop.

Fall compost applications to the garden bed or container help mitigate soil erosion, which can wash away nutrients in heavy rain and snowfall, while making the soil more porous so nutrients become readily available when plants resume growing in spring – this is particularly relevant in vegetable gardens or other beds that receive heavy precipitation.

Containers

As temperatures start to turn colder, many of us will begin clearing out our overcrowded planters and hanging baskets that have served their purpose. Now is an excellent opportunity to add this material to a compost pile for future plant life – leaves, stems, fruits and roots can all be put to good use!

As fall advances, your compost pile may begin to heat up again thanks to fresh additions like shredded tree leaves and grass clippings; both contain carbon-rich ingredients which speed up decomposition processes. Also consider including kitchen scraps and coffee grounds high in nitrogen which feed microorganisms responsible for breaking down raw organic materials into compost pile.

Garden weeds provide another rich source of nitrogen. By late autumn, they should have stopped producing seed heads and should be added to your compost pile to feed microorganisms that will speed up decomposition. As spring comes and passes us by, empty containers and garden beds may become barren of annual produce; add all disease-free plant matter such as corn stalks, green bean foliage or pumpkin vines directly into your pile as part of this year’s cleanup efforts and give nature what it needs!

If you haven’t done it already, now is an excellent time to build or purchase a compost bin. Doing so helps contain material while controlling moisture levels and warding off rodents or smelly materials from entering. When layering compost materials — be sure to alternate carbon and nitrogen sources — turn your pile at least once weekly so microorganisms can do their work aerating and heating the pile.

Before adding leaves to the pile, it is crucial that they are cut up into small pieces for proper composting. Large pieces may take an excessively long time to break down while wet leaves may mat down quickly – use of your lawn mower or shredder is one easy solution to this issue.

Feeding Plants

With compost added to vegetable and flower gardens or as mulch in autumn, your plants can receive all of the vital nutrients they require to thrive this winter. While chemical fertilizers tend to wash away valuable soil nutrients, compost acts like an organic pH stabilizer by improving access to key plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium – helping your garden beds remain productive year round!

Families that maintain backyard compost piles typically have plenty of nitrogen-rich materials available year-round to add, such as kitchen scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings and coffee grounds. But carbon-rich materials like leaves, grass clippings and straw can be harder to collect at other times of year – adding them now will accelerate the process and heat it up faster for faster compost maturation!

Compost‘s humus also improves soil‘s ability to retain water and nutrients by creating channels in clumps of particles that allow water and nutrients to more freely circulate – particularly important in clay or sandy soils where particles tend to stick together, blocking access for water and nutrients. Furthermore, compost has numerous other advantages, including increasing aeration while decreasing drainage issues in both types of soils.

Compost can also improve soil structure by breaking up clumps of soil to allow roots to penetrate more easily, while increasing cation exchange capacity (CEC), making it easier for plants to absorb soil nutrients; this is achieved through adding organic matter and fungi that perform complex functions including making certain mineral nutrients more available to plants.

Teufel’s Organic Compost is an approved organic compost that provides vital nutrients that plants require for healthy growth. Approved for organic use and free from sewage sludge or bio-solids usually found in commercial products, it offers an economical alternative to chemical fertilizers in gardens; increasing crop yields while simultaneously encouraging healthier plants; perfect for seedlings or transplants as well as amending containers.

Fertilizing

While most gardeners spread compost after planting in the spring, the ideal time for applying land applied compost is during fall. Applying it this early gives it ample time to break down into nutrient-rich soil before the growing season starts and makes working the soil easy and dry.

Compost as fertilizer helps reduce chemical fertilizers that damage plants and pollute water sources, while simultaneously improving soil structure by helping retain moisture, nutrients, reducing compaction and encouraging plant roots to spread freely. To make sure you get the most out of your compost pile it’s essential that it contains ample nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium – this means including kitchen scraps from fruits and vegetables as well as coffee grounds, tea bags and eggshells in its contents.

If you don’t already have a compost pile, buy or build a bin to contain and expedite the process of composting. Add a mix of “green” materials such as vegetable scraps high in nitrogen (e.g. vegetable peelings) and “brown” materials rich in carbon (such as leaves or straw), alternating layers between green and brown materials and regularly turning your heap to keep its activity high.

Over time, your compost pile will break down into dark and crumbly material known as humus that can then be distributed onto garden beds to enrich soil while simultaneously improving their appearance.

Compost can revitalize depleted soil while feeding microorganisms that combat weeds and pests. When planting in spring, using compost as an anchor layer will ensure vegetables and flowers receive optimal conditions to get off to a good start.

Compost is one of the best and most eco-friendly ways to improve soil health, so start building one this fall and begin spreading out its nutrients as soon as possible – then, when planting begins next year, your soil will be primed and ready to go!

Free eBook – Organic Vegetable Gardening: Harnessing the Power of Composting