I've always subscribed to the theory that there is never enough compost added to any soil but then again I have never had a soil test.

I can relate to the clay soil that would turn to almost concrete and crack wide open. Miserable stuff to plant in or cultivate. When I was a kid, my Father bought a small farm that hadn't been cultivated for many years and was rock hard gray clay. After several years of adding any and every organic material we could get that soil was almost loam like and produced some of the best veggies in the community.

I add compost consisting of leaves, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fish scraps and many other things that experts say shouldn't be added to compost. Seems I can never get enough but works for me.

I'm of the same opinion O.D. I feel that after 5 years not adding compost the soil be as hard as when I started. I've sent a letter with copy of lab report to Texas A&M for their thoughts. I can grow enough veggies in hugey beds but for peace of mind I want to better understand why organics should be withheld from this piece of ground.

There is no such thing as too much compost. IMO and in my experience.

Never enough here. But then, maybe it can depend on the composting? Like if you are adding in heaps of finished or mostly finished compost it has one kind of impact. But if you sheet in stuff like your grass clippings and leaves to in-situ, that can have a different impact. Or utilizing chop and drop cover crops works in differently.

So maybe it's not a just stop using the finished compst thing. Maybe use less. And also, add in more sheet dry (to help keep tilth up) and cover crop N to your mix. Using a slower compost that helps retain more could be useful.

What kinds of weeds do you have going on in your gardens? Those can be indicators.

My thoughts are similar to Beesneeds.

I can't help but think that the material that went into the compost makes a difference on how long it takes for the compost to lose tilth and turn into humus. For example, I would think a compost made mostly from bark would last longer in the garden than a compost made mostly from quick composting things like vegetable scraps or manure.

And even though compost shouldn't really be looked at as a fertilizer, we do know that the raw ingedients we use to make the compost causes the finished compost to vary in regards to nutrient content.

So maybe the solution to your overabundance of certain nutrients can be solved simply by switching up what you are composting?

Rodney

I have the solution. Adding compost wouldn't hurt,the problem is P in compost adding to existing excess P. Excess P ties up some micronutrients. I will plant Yuchi Clover this Fall then clip and remove top growth before seed set next May. Top will make fine compost for diferent ground or feed for livestock. We've overseeded Yuchi for grazing in years passed so I know it is a P glutton and roots fix N.