Can i plant vegetables directly into compost.?

Question

Am planing a veggie patch, have fenced an area with thin sheets of roofing iron, then have filled the area with compost, (about 4 good sized utes full.)
Can i plant my veggies directly into this mix or do i need to add anything.
I live in Darwin

Answer 1

Compost is great to add to the soil but you shouldn't use it exclusively. There are nutrients in soil that are not present in the compost. Mix it up into the soil.

http://www.garden.org/subchannels/care/soil?q=show&id=2403

Answer 2

I had a watermelon plant becoming out of my compost pile final 3 hundred and sixty 5 days (a volunteer) i did no longer water it yet once I had i'm specific i might have had a effective watermelon which replaced into attending to be a good length beforehand it croaked. I even have additionally outfitted a raised mattress and placed 6" of compost in it and planted tomatoes and peppers this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days and that they are generating merely nice. the mattress is on the floor and the flora can root into the soil below the 6" of compost.

Answer 3

Compost is an amendment not a replacement for good soil. Compost alone is not adequate to support plants. Soil is made up of minerals, water, air and organics. A typical cultivated soil will have 50 to 60% mineral particles made up of sand, silt & clay, 5-7 % organic matter, and 40% pore spaces between the particles, which will have varying amounts of air and water in them. The minerals supply the texture of a soil while the interaction between the organics and mineral particles creates a soils tilth. You need only a thin layer of compost over your soil. If what you have is more than 6 inches deep you should spread it thinner and till it in so there is adequate mineral content available to your plants.

In growing on pure compost you would be growing on the organics with no mineral reservoir. The minerals are contained in the particles of sand silt & clay in your soil. Acidity or alkalinity of the soil is also determined by the mineral content. You will be working with a short term supply of nutrients in unknown ratios from a compost pile.
Organic rich soil has 10 - 20% organics and problems all its own. Soil with than 20% organics holds water like a sponge but can dry out totally in summer then it can be difficult to re-wet once it is dried out. It tends to become very acidic as there is a limited amount of minerals to buffer changes. It quickly becomes infertile as nutrients are limited in low pH soils.

Answer 4

Depends on what you mean by "compost".

If it is kitchen scraps, grass clippings, etc., that have not decomposed then NO.
If it is rich composted soil, then YES.
Your plants will grow very well, be healthy and will flourish.

Answer 5

The gardening editor of our local paper says he plants his vegetables directly into leaf compost, so I say go for it.

Answer 6

where did the compost come from? if leaves and food wasts along with some manure and it has sat for a good month ok if it has human wasts in it not good for veggie patch

Answer 7

till the compost into your soil and you're ready to go

Answer 8

Many people do it that way. It seems to work well.