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I've only been making my own compost for 2 yrs. Last year, I put my home made compost on the garden when it was still quite wet, but looked fully broken down - like rich soil. We had a strange year, weather wise, and my garden wasn't nearly as productive as usual. My hubby suggested that perhaps I put the compost on the garden before the compost was truly "ready."

So....what are the signs of compost that's ready to be dug into or laid down in the garden? Thanks!

You see the farmer holding up his two hands after picking up some his soil and holding that to his nostrils--smelling the good earth--is a picture of compost that is ready.
Compost shouldn't be wet--that slows down the action, it should smell earthy, not something to turn your nose up at; yet should, when you squeeze it in your palms, form a ball that crumbles easy.
But why was yours wet--perhaps too much rain was allowed to penetrate it or the material added was too wet and you didn't allow for it to dry out thoroughly.
Adding too much compost can cause suffocation due to lack of oxygen. Perhaps it was better to dig it in, rather than use as a mulch.
Sometimes, if laid too early, nitrogen is taken from soil to feed on the compost effecting breakdown. It is recommended that increased amounts of nitrogen be given gardens if compoost that is not ready is given to the garden.

I live in an area where it rains a lot - up until about May. So that's why it was wet (even though it's in a covered bin). It wasn't garbage-smelling, though. It smelled of earth.

Have three bins of this right now! Not quite done yet but if it heats up ~~it won't be to long. Mine is not quite ready to crumble!

If you top-dress (mulch) with it you don't need to be concerned whether it's completely finished or not. Don't dig it in if you think it's not finished. I'm not sure I've ever made completely finished compost and always use it as mulch.

There are likely many reasons your garden "wasn't nearly as productive as usual" and it may not have been due to the compost.

Compost should be dark brown ,fluffy and not powdery.Then it is ready to use.In your case i think you should have given some more time for it to be perfectly ready.
Mice exterminator nyc

Compost is ready to use when most of the material you put in is not easily identifiable and the compost smells like good, rich earth. While the material that becomes compost should never be really wet, moist is what it should be, putting wet compost on the garden is not a problem.
Many people plunk compost down just before they plant or just after they plant expecting that will feed the plants and not realizing that it can take some time before the soil bacteria, the Soil Food Web, to convert the nutrients in that compost into plant food, it does not happen quickly or the nutrients would wash right out of the soil and cause pollution. In reality, the compost you want to feed this years plants should have been applied last year.

quote:

Originally posted by KimmSr:
In reality, the compost you want to feed this years plants should have been applied last year.

Which is why wise gardeners apply compost at least once yearly, thus continuously feeding the organisms that feed the plants.

Thanks. It sounds like my compost was done - just wet from rains. Because of our wet weather, it's TOO wet for spring planting, yet I need to empty the bin before fall. So I will do as I did last year, and apply it as a mulch once my plants are large enough.

We had cooler than average temps last year, and I believe that was why my garden wasn't as productive as usual. But I had to convince hubby about the compost thing

Tell hubby that it is the same thing that nature has been doing since the first plants & animals on this earth! It's NATURAL! It feeds the soils so the soils can feed your plants!