Of all the things I have done in my garden, the most important was adding compost to my soil. There is a reason why gardeners call compost black gold. It is amazing stuff and it gives back to your garden tenfold.
Compost is the final product of what nature does naturally. If you save your grass clippings, leaves (I actually chop up my leaves with my lawn mower), pine needles, vegetable and banana peels, apple cores, egg shells, and make a pile of all this good stuff, eventually it turns into something that your plants will just love. And all for free! If you turn your compost heap, the materials break down faster and you will have usable compost even quicker. But whether you turn it or not, eventually compost happens.
Here in Saginaw we have a compost center where city residents can go and load their car or their pickup for free. Non residents can get some for fee. The city will deliver 3 yards for a charge.
What has compost done for my garden? It has made a hard and rocky clay soil workable. It acts as a mulch around my plants smothering the weeds. It provides my plants with nutrients they need. It helps retain moisture in the soil which is especially important during times of drought. All of this for free!
So, whether you make your own or your get it from a compost center, make it a part of your garden routine. You will not regret it.
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