5 Clear Signs That Your Compost Is Ready To Use NOW

Many new gardeners who’re preparing compost for the first time struggle to identify when it’s ready.  And, unfortunately for them, compost needs to be fully ready to be of use in the garden.

This means it should be fully decomposed and have no organic materials lying in there whole. 

This article will walk you through some of the more apparent signs that your compost is ready to be used.

Important reading:

5 Clear Signs That Your Compost Is Ready To Use NOW

Let’s go over each sign in detail.

Initially, when you put organic materials in a compost bin, they are easily recognizable and colorful depending on what you put in. However, as the compost matures and moves towards a more finished stage, the color changes to dark brown or sometimes even black and no materials are distinguishable. 

The texture of the compost also changes from soft and mushy to somewhat of a crumbly soil-like texture as it becomes ready to use. 

Smell is a very important factor for checking compost readiness. 

When organic material is fresh in a compost bin, it will typically just smell like rotting fruits and vegetables.

A few weeks or months into decomposition, the rotting smell should get worse as the microbial activity in the compost breaks down the materials you put in. A foul smell of ammonia in your compost will indicate that more time is needed for complete decomposition.

As maturation nears, however, your compost should begin to smell decently pleasant and earthy.

Yes, temperature is another key factor for determining whether compost is ready to use or not. 

When decomposition initially begins, the temperature in the compost bin usually rises well above normal levels because of the microbial activity taking place in there.

However, as decomposition nears completion, you’ll find that the compost bin has a much cooler internal temperature, indicating that microbial bacteria has done its job

A sprouting test involves taking some of the compost from the compost bin and planting seeds in it to see if they would sprout.

If sprouting is underwhelming or there’s no sprouting at all, let the compost mature for longer. But, if the seed sprouts rather vigorously, your compost is ready to hit the garden and promote growth in the crops. 

This is probably the simplest way to check if your compost is ready.

Simply open the compost bin and look for any organic materials that haven’t decomposed yet like whole fruit peels or solid eggshells.

If there are none to be found and everything is dark and crumbly, your compost is ready to be used. 

If there are, however, some pieces floating around that haven’t decomposed yet, you might want to leave the compost to mature for a little longer.

Important reading:

Compost

In the garden, it’s generally easier to recognize when things like plants and fruits are fully developed and ready to be picked.

However, beginners often find themselves confused about minor concepts like whether their compost is ready to be used or not. 

Hopefully, this article cleared all the doubts you had about compost maturity and signs to look out for when determining whether your compost is ready to hit the garden. Happy composting!

5 Clear Signs That Your Compost Is Ready To Use NOW

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