Compost Uses — What to do with all this compost

Finished compost is an excellent soil amendment that improves the health of soil physically (adds porosity and water retention), chemically (provides nutrients in slow release form) and biologically (provides a living environment for microbes). Healthy soil produces healthy plants and compost-ammended soil requires fewer chemical additives in the forms of fertilizer and pesticides.

Common uses for compost include:

Soil-amendment for crops, gardening, potting
Top-dressing for lawns and turf
Turf-growing media
Use as a mulch (top-cover)
Land restoration/soil remediation

Given its incredible water retention capabilities, compost is also playing key roles in low impact development, stormwater management, and erosion control:

Infiltration strips – deep tilling compost into soil to improve stormwater infiltration
Rain gardens – providing the organic portion of the mostly sand-based growing media
Bioswales – increasing the infiltration effectiveness of bioswales
Compost "blankets" – seeded compost effective in establishing vegetation on steep slopes
Compost "socks" – compost-filled mesh tubes for low-maintenance erosion control