How to Use Our Products
- Caitlin Youngquist
- Mar 26
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Compost provides plant nutrients, organic matter, and beneficial soil microbes. It can be used on lawns, landscaping, farms, and gardens.
Compost is a soil amendment - not a fertilizer. It will slowly release plant nutrients over many years, provide food for soil microbes and worms, increase the soil water holding capacity, and improve soil structure.
Small Containers: For flower pots, buckets, and smaller containers we recommend a mix of 75% Victory Garden Soil with the balance of peat moss or coco coir. This will improve the drainage in smaller containers. The addition of Wool Pellets at a rate of about 1/3 cup of pellets per gallon of soil will provide slow release nutrients and help reduce watering frequency during the heat of the summer.
New Raised Beds (< 2 ft deep): Fill with our Victory Garden Soil. Water thoroughly and dig down to make sure the water made it all the way through the soil. The soil will be very dry when you get it!
New Raised Beds (> 2 ft deep): Place large rocks (not gravel), small logs, etc. in the bottom to take up space. Logs and branches will decompose slowly over time and feed the soil. Be sure wood is very wet before adding soil. Fill the top 2-3 feet with our Victory Garden Soil. Water thoroughly and dig down to verify the water made it all the way through the soil. The soil will be very dry when you get it!
New Gardens: Add 2-4 inches of Blue Collar Compost and incorporate with a shovel or tiller. Use less for clay soils and more for sandy soils. Mulch all bare soil with a thick layer of wood chips, alfalfa, wool, straw, etc.
Existing Gardens: For soil that needs a boost of nutrients, add 1-2 inches of Blue Collar Compost each year. The best time to add compost is in the fall. If you are adding compost in the spring, the earlier the better. This gives it time to start working in the soil before it is time to plant.
Sheet Mulching or Lasagna Gardening: Use Blue Collar Compost as a nutrient dense layer at the base, under the cardboard. Water thoroughly. For deeper beds, you can continue to layer the compost with other materials like leaves, grass clippings, and hay. For the final layer, use 6 inches of Victory Garden Soil to provide a good base for planting. Cover with a thick layer of mulch.
Landscapes: For trees, shrubs, and perennial landscapes, spread ~1/2 inch of compost on the surface of the soil. This can be done any time of year, but fall is ideal. Do not put compost in the hole when planting trees or shrubs. Compost around the roots does not encourage them to develop robust root systems.
New Lawns: For new sod on areas that still have some top soil, spread ~ 1 inch of Blue Collar Compost, and incorporate with a tiller. For areas that have had all of the topsoil removed (or there was nothing to begin with), spread ~3 inches of Yard Boss Topsoil, or a blend of topsoil and compost.
Existing Lawns: Spread 1/8-1/4 inch of Blue Collar Compost on established lawns in early spring or fall. Water thoroughly! Our compost is high in the big three nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and you will not need additional fertilizer.