Composting
 

  (October) I have been gathering the bags of coffee grounds from the local coffee shop, hoping to use them in a rose garden that my wife and I are building. Can you give us some advice on the use of the coffee grounds. Right now the area is sandy loam with lots of love needed.

  Coffee grounds are a great amendment, however only small quantities should be directly applied to a garden. It would be ideal to add to a compost pile, since coffee grounds have almost the same nitrogen content as grass clippings. With the plethora of falling leaves, and possibly less grass clippings laying around, this would be the perfect time to get started on a compost pile. It is recommended that you incorporate the coffee grounds, since they can attract fruit flies if they are out in the open for long. For more information check out the following website: http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship/compost/coffee.htm.

  (November) I have a question about compost. I have heard repeatedly that I should gather leaves and compost them. It makes sense because there is a lot of plant material in them. But how about if we have lawn care? The put on pre-emergence and post emergence, etc, from time to time. Doesn't this stuff stay in the leaves and therefore damage one's garden? Or does the composting process dilute the herbicides? If so how long does it take for this to happen? Secondly, aren't leaves very acidic. If I put them in the garden do I need extra lime to counteract the acidity? Or maybe composted leaves aren't still acidic. Should I rake all leaves out of the garden that accidentally fall in? Or maybe such a small amount wouldn't affect the soil.

  Composting is an excellent way to take the natural products readily on hand and turn them into soil amendments. Naturally it would happen on its own if we didn't rake them, but it would be much slower, and our lawns and gardens would not benefit from this. There is some debate as to using lawn clippings that are treated with chemicals. Some believe they can be used depending on how soon after they are treated and what is used. Some composting experts recommend several mowings or waiting a month between applications before using the grass clippings. A lot depends on the frequency of herbicide activities, and where you plan to use the compost--edible garden versus flower beds. A good compost pile is not just leaves --or carbon, but green matter as well--nitrogen. This can come from grass clippings, plant remains and vegetable remains. Lime is occasionally added to the compost pile, but usually the resulting compost is not that acidic--slightly so, but not bad. Leaving some leaves on the garden is not bad at all, and can be tilled in next spring. If you can, you may want to use a mulching mower over the garden, to break the leaves into smaller pieces for a quicker breakdown. The extension website is loaded with compost information. visit our website at www.uaex.edu. You can find information in the lawn and garden section, plus in the publication section.

  I built planters along the back of my house and have slowly filled them with compost. I planted squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and several herbs. The peppers and half the herbs have done fine. The rest of the vegetables wilted or were covered with a white substance and have slowly died. What should I spray the plants with if this happens again? Should I do anything to this soil/compost? Could over watering have been a factor?

  Have the compost tested. It is possible that it wasn’t completely finished its breakdown process and tied up some of your nutrients. I would also suggest adding some soil to the compost to make a more even mix for your plants to grow in. Depending on what you used to compost with, it could be holding too much water, or on the flip side, be so light that it doesn’t retain moisture. See what the soil sample results are. You’ll need a full pint of soil/compost for testing, and you should take it to your local county extension office.

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