Back in the middle of June, I decided to put compost to the test by planting some pumpkin seeds in some soil freshly mixed with compost, and planting some other pumpkin seeds in nearby soil that I turned over with my shovel but didn’t mix with compost. Both patches are growing seeds from the same packet, get about the same amount of sun each day, and have had the rain fall on them equally.
At the beginning of July, the difference in growth between the soil-only pumpkin plants and the soil+compost pumpkin plants was remarkable. Here’s how the two patches visually compare today.
Pumpkin seedlings growing in unamended soil measure about one and a half inches across as of July 12. One secondary leaf is visible:
Seeds planted in soil amended with compost have grown vigorously well beyond the seedling stage, sending out vines:
The difference is pretty darned clear. I can’t wait to see the flowers.