How much garden soil and compost is too much?

[Cyndiesq]

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

[Rue Barbie]

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.

[GardenThrive]

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

[jal_ut]

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

[imafan26]

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.

[feldon30]

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.