When you think about starting a new garden you may think about the type of plant you would like to grow, what kind of attention you can provide to the plant, how much sunlight it may need, the ideal type of soil, and so on.  But would you consider incorporating compost into your garden?

Sydney Weydemeyer of Truck Farm Chicago is a rookie gardener who had the idea to utilize some leftover food scraps to provide for some rich, nutritional compost in her new garden. Here’s what she learned from her experience:

“When we were starting our garden this year we had trouble finding compost … a school in Oak Park had compost that was started from leftover school lunches, so naturally we were really excited. So we started the garden with the compost and as the plants started growing we noticed they were not doing well! After we tried all that we could think of, we brought in an expert (my dad) and he pointed out that our ‘compost’ wasn’t quite compost - it was still in the mulch stage. We thankfully were able to do a swap of mulch for compost with the Kilborn Park Organic Greenhouse and our garden is now doing great! … Good soil really IS a key part of growing your garden!”

Compost can be a great resource for crucial nutrients in a garden. It can act as a soil conditioner, fertilizer, and even a natural pesticide. As Sydney mentioned, it is important to pay special attention to the compost and ensure that it has matured enough to provide your plant with everything it may need.

Check back on Monday for our interview with Sydney, where we explore the business behind Truck Farm Chicago.

This Truck Farm eggplant is thriving in the fresh compost.