DO I NEED TO COMPOST?

[Earl K]

I'm growing tomatos in buckets on my porch.I'm in florida and those scorching days are coming soon.I want to add some organic compost I bought,but I also want to put a layer of mulch on top to help contain moisture.do I really need to compost,and would it wash in through mulch I would add compost before adding mulch, but I understand that you should add compost more than just once. please help...

[smokensqueal]

Most compost it's self is a good moister keeper. Some would use compost as a mulch. Others use it as they mix in their pots to plant in. If you already have the tomatoes growing I would start by just putting a thick layer of compost on it. If it doesn't seem to keep moister to your liking just add what ever type of mulch you were planning on doing.

[rainbowgardener]

for adding compost later, you can always pull the mulch out of the way, dig the compost in (it wouldn't have to be a lot) and then put your mulch back.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Or mulch with compost; watering will distribute the biology that makes compost so darned good for plants...

HG

[Earl K]

thanks for the info,I added my compost 2 days ago and seems to be a good layer on top and I'm going to let it be for a couple weeks to see what happens.thanks again

[rot]

..
Mulch with compost and mulch that with grass clippings. I'm in dry area and I will also mulch with dried leaves crunched up by hand but the leaf mulch needs wind protection. Unless you're on the brim of the container you should be fine.

I mulch in open ares with grass clippings. they won't blow away and will help with retaining moisture. They just break down faster than the leaf mulch so you will be mulching again sooner.

two cents
..

[The Helpful Gardener]

And they add nitrogen as they decompose, and the last brown bits, being lots of lignin and carbon, breaks down slower...good mulch

I use grass clippings around my veggies...

HG