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I'm a newbie at gardening and trying to resurrect my father's back yard garden (unused, except by grass, for 10+ years). I've dug out sod and weeds and had someone with a large tiller till the ground well with several bags of garden soil and organic compost and composted manure that I put down. I'm thinking of adding several more bags, but I don't know if it's possible to go overboard on those items. The plot is 10'x40'+ and I'm in central Kentucky with plans to grow tomatoes, peppers, beans, onions, cucumbers, melons, and strawberries. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks! Cyndi

Cyndiesq wrote:I'm a newbie at gardening and trying to resurrect my father's back yard garden (unused, except by grass, for 10+ years). I've dug out sod and weeds and had someone with a large tiller till the ground well with several bags of garden soil and organic compost and composted manure that I put down. I'm thinking of adding several more bags, but I don't know if it's possible to go overboard on those items. The plot is 10'x40'+ and I'm in central Kentucky with plans to grow tomatoes, peppers, beans, onions, cucumbers, melons, and strawberries. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks! Cyndi

My father, also a gardener in his day, often said 'that's good enough'. It's hard to say from your words alone, but I suspect what you have done so far is also 'good enough'.

If nothing else, it's a good place to start. If it works this year, you'll know next year what to do. Or to do better - since gardening is an on-going learning experience.

That said, it's hard to go wrong by adding more organic matter.

Good luck with your garden. Please share any photos.

I agree that more organic matter is always a good thing. If the compost is properly cured it's hard to add too much.

You should be good to go. Plant and enjoy. Yes, you can overdo manures. Maybe save those other bags till fall?

I don't like to add more than 20 percent organic matter at a time. It comes out to be about 4-6 inches spread over the top.
I actually have had issues with adding more than that. Mostly because of my watering habits and my soil can hold too much water. I also don't like raising the pH too much. Manures can definitely be over used. Chicken manure will raise the pH a half a point and that is not good if the soil is already alkaline. Manures are also high in salts and you don't need that much.

Cyndiesq wrote:I'm a newbie at gardening and trying to resurrect my father's back yard garden (unused, except by grass, for 10+ years). I've dug out sod and weeds and had someone with a large tiller till the ground well with several bags of garden soil and organic compost and composted manure that I put down.

It would be incredibly helpful to know the brand and cost of these bags and where you acquired them. There is a lot of shady product out there in bags. I really wish there was some kind of voluntary standard or certification body. Anyone can put anything in a bag and call it "compost" or "topsoil" without ramifications.