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  1 0 Dirt is dirt, use it. The breakdown of compost takes time, air (oxygen), warmer temperatures and appropriate moisture levels. The nutrients that it contained are still there. Mold may be present from the over moist condition, but allowing it to dry out and mixing with drier soils will ameliorate that. Russ Campbell, NWEBS answered in Other Gardening about 1 year ago | Report 4 comments by Rickler, Russ Campbell, NWEBS, and Rickler… 1 0 So I think I made a major rookie mistake... I got over-eager yesterday and used my potting soil and compost without letting it dry out. I noticed when I was almost done planting that it had a sulferous, rotten egg type smell. At that point I realized that it was probably way too wet, but by then I was pretty much done. Should I scrap my efforts and start from scratch with new, drier soil? Rickler commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Hydrogen sulfide smell (rotten eggs) is found in wetland soils with high organic matter (peat, etc.) that have predominantly anaerobic bacterial action occurring because of saturation and low exposure to air. I would expect that to be true of your sopping wet soil if you just used it right away. It would probably be alright if allowed to dry out but it is probably pretty compact and will need help in the way of gently turning it over or aerating it and giving it some air space later as it dries out. You never explained what you are trying to grow in your containers (flowers, vegetables, etc) and whether you are using starts or from seed. Your chance of success depends a lot on what you are doing. Many seeds can succumb to mold or being overly wet initially (not being in well drained soil). Other answers to your initial question were much more specific than mine in ways to treat your unprotected and soaked soil but I think that most would agree that it should have been drier or made drier by mixing initially. If you just resist the urge to over water it and let it dry, protect it from the rain (undercover from above but not covered, like in plastic) it may work out. At least if you decide to redo the work keep half of the containers as they are as a trial to see how it works out after all. Russ Campbell, NWEBS commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 I am growing vegetables and flowers (sugar snap peas, kale, lettuce and sweet peas) from seed. I checked on the containers today and the soil doesn't seem too compacted or wet - I fluffed it up quite a bit as I was transferring it into the containers. It's at about the moisture level it would be had I thoroughly watered it at the time of planting. So, I'm going to take a chance and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice! Rickler commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 OK, well you know the normal germination time, so be watching and if you see no action, regroup and try again. Write in again and add to this string after you know the outcome. We will all learn through your experience. You could also just try to germinate some seeds separately in some small pots for transplant. If these don't work out you will have others on their way to use. Russ Campbell, NWEBS commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 the only problem might be what's going on with the microorganisms in there. if it's been sitting in the bag there a chance the air holes have been blocked and it's been cooked in the sun - you might have killed off most of the aerobic bacteria. that's nothing that a little time and some mixing with in-the-ground dirt can't cure. if you're really worried, go buy some red wrigglers to help break things down. i've heard some folks will go the extra mile and make a diluted molasses mixture - 1/4 cup molasses to a gallon of water, spread over 30 square feet - to jump start bacteria. it is good to know, though, that nitrogen leaches out of your soil the fastest of all nutrients. really, nitrogen is what makes the difference between an okay harvest and a bumper crop. while its ridiculous to assume there's no nitrogen at all in those bags, I'd add a little to your beds. blood meal (available fast!) and fish meal (av bit more slow-release) work wonders, though it's crucial not to overdo it and wait until you've got a bit drier weather. fertilizing garden = good, fertilizing in the rain = fertilizing groundwater = bad. whiskeypony answered in Other Gardening about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by whiskeypony… 0 0 p.s. - since you're a container gardener, you probably don't need huge bags of amendments. emerald city gardens on leary way sells additions from a little but effective bulk section in the back of their store. plus, they sell rare and awesome things at half the price of swanson's. whiskeypony commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Nitrogen is water soluble and so leaches quickly. I've posted if before, but here is my fertilizer recipe: 2 parts Blood Meal 3 parts bone meal 6 parts green sand. By "part" I mean scoop. This can be adjusted as needed. I often add some sort of seed meal like alfalfa for some longer term nitrogen. This basic recipe is pretty killer. I got it from the guy that started territorial seeds. The primary reason for adding compost to a garden is not nutrients- especially in the Northwest. It's to add well rotted organic matter. The nutrients can be added seperately and should be added seperately. Most commerially available composts need augmentation of some kind (at least in my experience). so your stuff is almost certainly just fine. Good luck. Tom answered in Other Gardening about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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