Tried growing tomatoes in straight compost last season, biggest gardening mistake I made

Ngl, I thought more organic matter would just make everything grow better. I filled three raised beds with pure compost from the city recycling center in Austin instead of mixing it with soil. By June, half my tomato plants had blossom end rot and the leaves were yellowing like crazy. Turns out compost holds too much moisture and lacks proper drainage for root crops. A master gardener at the local nursery told me I basically drowned my plants in nutrients. I learned you need at least 40% topsoil mixed in for container gardens. Has anyone else gotten bad results from going overboard on compost amendments?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancyd855d ago

It's the same thing with houseplants, everybody thinks more love means more water and food but plants actually need that tough gritty reality check to grow roots deep.

logan_white595d ago

Ngl I gotta push back on that a little. Sure, underwatering can make roots dig deeper for water, but that's not the same as "tough gritty reality check" being good for them. Overwatering kills plants because roots rot, not because they're coddled. I've seen people starve their succulents for months thinking they're making them "tough" when really they're just slowly killing them with neglect. A plant needs consistent care, not a boot camp. The whole "tough love" thing sounds like a excuse for bad watering habits.