I have just had a large load of Vancouver City's compost/soil delivered and want to start planting right away. It has no worms yet (or other life) as I believe it is processed by cooking leaves, branches and green waste. Should I add something to it to help the plants grow as I want them to get established before the winter. Mycorrhizae Fungi or transplant fertilizer or grab some worms from my compost. I plan to plant some small shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Tossing around a few ideas before I get started and I'd appreciate other opinions.
In my own garden I would do that too. But this is what the city gives you to start a "traffic circle" garden and you go with what you've got. I had a garden here and I had to remove it because the City of Vancouver workers were replacing the sewers and now I am starting over. The bulk of my soil will remain this mix but I was wondering what I could add to make the plants happier. It's 70% compost made from our green waste and 30% sand.
Is there existing soil this material can be dug into? Being only the compost and the sand it amounts to something akin to a potting medium, will likewise shrink markedly and eventually become almost nothing but sand as the organic component dwindles away - unless mixed with actual soil ("dirt"), that is one consisting primarily of mineral material (sand, silt and clay in whatever proportion happens to be present). If the soil it is mixed with already has a significant proportion of sand the additional sand may result in a sandy soil being produced, with its associated problems with droughtiness and leaching. However, it takes a lot of sand to make a soil a sandy one.
This medium from Fraser Richmond, I understand,is just composted leaves and yard green waste mixed with sand and screened. There is no clay content. It can be a very good growing medium as the Parks Board uses it all the time. The difference for them is that they don't plant straight away. In my traffic circle I have about 5 yards of this on top of compacted gravel which has been placed over the sewers. It's heaped up so can afford to shrink a little. So you think it is like potting medium. I could plant into worse things,I suppose. Maybe I'll plant a few things now and wait until spring to plant the rest. Thanks for your ideas.
