Compost for Vegetable Growing

Manure

• Manure has traditionally been used to fertilize soil for growing vegetables, but used in its raw state, manure can not only add copious amounts of weed seeds to your garden, but present a risk of E.coli and other pathogen outbreaks, according to University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Make sure that manure has been well-composted before use on the vegetable garden, and never include cat, dog or pig manure in your compost pile, as the pathogens in these species may survive the composting process. Check to make sure the temperature of your compost pile exceeds 140 degrees Fahrenheit to kill off most potential pathogens.

Mushroom Compost

• If you live near a commercial mushroom-growing establishment, mushroom compost -- the leftover material used as the substrate for growing mushrooms -- will be readily available for sale inexpensively. Mushroom compost can be turned into the soil of your vegetable garden to enhance fertility and tilth, or spread as a mulch, advises the Oregon State University Cooperative Extension. Exercise caution in using mushroom compost for starting vegetable seedlings, however; depending on the source, mushroom compost may be high in soluble salts, which can deter germination or even kill off sprouting seeds.

Composted Yard Waste

• Producing your own compost at home from yard waste reduces your solid waste disposal bill, while cleaning up your yard and providing valuable nutrients for your vegetable crops. Avoid using leaves and twigs from plants treated with herbicides in your compost, advises Colorado State University Extension, as these chemicals break down at different rates and there is no way to ensure that traces will not harm your vegetable crops when the compost is applied. Also avoid using twigs, leaves or wood chips from walnut trees in compost destined for use in the vegetable garden; a chemical component of these trees, juglone, deters the growth of many other plant species. Kitchen scraps are usually added to yard waste along with layers of soil to make the richest vegetable garden compost.

Vermicompost

• One of the easiest ways to compost kitchen scraps for the vegetable garden indoors, year round, is to engage in vermicomposting, or composting with worms. Worm bins are easily built or can be purchased from many sources for indoor use, with small units sized to fit under the kitchen sink. Create a bed of shredded newspaper and add purchased red worms, then feed them daily with coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, and small doses of meat or eggs. The worms will turn the food and bedding into rich soil-like compost to enhance your vegetable garden.