Composting makes excellent sense for most gardeners. Even the best soil needs constant improvement, and compost is a natural way to improve the soil. However, making compost takes time. During your first year or two of gardening, you might have little or no compost to work with. During that time, there are other ways to provide your garden with similar benefits.
What Compost Does
There's a common perception that compost is primarily a fertilizer. While compost does contains valuable nutrients, they release slowly and they aren't as concentrated as they are in other forms of fertilizer. Compost is more important as a source of organic material in the soil, known as humus. Humus improves drainage in heavy soils and helps light, sandy soils retain moisture. Plants root more readily in soils with high levels of organic material, and the populations of beneficial bacteria in compost also contribute to soil health. (see References 1, 2)
One of the most useful replacements for compost is peat moss, or sphagnum. Peat has a texture similar to well-aged compost and provides a similar quality of organic material. Like compost, it helps lighten dense clay soils and improve water retention in light soils (see References 3). It's available at most garden retailers in bales and bags of varying sizes. For large quantities of peat, it's often less costly to order in bulk from a landscaper or landscaping supply company.
Aside from peat, many other types of organic materials can improve your garden's soil in the absence of compost. Well-aged manure provides a valuable source of nutrients for the soil and also contains populations of bacteria similar to those in well-aged compost. Your yard might already contain fallen leaves, dead grass or other materials that can be used to improve the soil. Farmers often have old or rotted straw or hay available at low cost, while sawmills and tree-pruning services are usually willing to sell sawdust and wood chips (see References 4).
Gardening Without Compost
Most soils benefit from the addition of organic materials before planting (see References 4). Incorporate peat moss, aged manure or other materials into the soil with a fork or mechanical tiller before shaping and planting your garden beds. Your new plants will find it easier to set roots in the loosened and improved soil. After planting, regularly mulch the beds with straw, sawdust, grass clippings or other materials. Eventually they'll break down and help enrich the soil, but in the meantime they improve water retention and help choke out weeds.
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