My neighbor's compost pile changed how I water everything

Last month I was complaining to Hank next door about my tomatoes always wilting by noon. He just pointed at his giant compost bin and said 'your dirt is dead, that's why.' So I started mixing in a shovel of his finished compost around each plant, just a handful really. Now my beds hold moisture twice as long and I barely drag the hose out anymore. Anyone else skip compost because it seemed like too much work and then feel dumb when it fixes everything?

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1 Comment

ben4861mo ago

Admit something for me. Did you actually check the moisture level in the soil before you added the compost, or did you just assume it was a watering problem? I only ask because I did the exact same thing with my raised beds, tossed in a bag of compost and suddenly my peppers looked great. Then I dug down six inches and realized the real problem was the clay underneath acting like a bowl, holding water that never reached the roots. Compost helped, sure, but it was masking a drainage issue that I should have caught months earlier. Just wondering if you tested the dirt first or if you're riding on Hank's good word like I did.