Do You Even Need Fertilizer: Compost vs. Soil Amendments

Why Compost-First Gardening is the Real Secret to Healthy Soil.

If you’ve ever wandered through the garden aisle—eyes glazing over while trying to choose between kelp extract, blood meal, or some mysterious “bloom booster”—you’re not alone. I’ve been there too, staring at shelves lined with shiny bags that promise miracle harvests and unstoppable growth, wondering, Do I really need all this stuff?

Spoiler: You probably don’t.

In fact, what if you could skip the synthetic fertilizers, bypass the overpriced soil amendments, and instead let your soil do the work for you?

Welcome to compost-first gardening—a gentle, low-effort approach that doesn’t just aim to grow lush plants, but to build thriving, self-sustaining soil from the ground up.

Let’s dig into (pun intended) why compost is the real MVP of soil health, how it compares to conventional amendments, and why you might never need to buy fertilizer again.

---

Compost: The Unsung Hero of the Garden

When people hear “compost,” they often think of a smelly pile in the corner of the yard. But compost is so much more than decomposed banana peels and coffee grounds. It’s a living ecosystem—a bustling micro-world of bacteria, fungi, and friendly critters that quietly transform organic scraps into a rich, nutrient-dense feast for your soil.

When I started gardening, I assumed compost was just a “nice to have”—but the more I learned, the more I realized it’s the foundation of everything. Once I made compost the centre of my garden plan, things just… clicked. My plants got hardier, my soil stayed moist longer, and I spent way less time (and money) fussing over fertilizers.

Here’s what makes compost such a soil superstar:

Boosts Soil Microbial Life

Healthy soil isn’t just dirt—it’s alive. Compost introduces beneficial microbes that break down organic matter and make nutrients more accessible to your plants. These microscopic organisms are like your garden’s backstage crew, keeping everything running smoothly.

Improves Soil Structure

Got sandy soil that drains too fast? Or heavy clay that turns into a swamp every time it rains? Compost helps with both by aerating compacted areas and helping loose soil retain water. It creates the perfect “crumbly” texture plants love.

Increases Water Retention

Think of good soil like a sponge. With enough organic matter, it can soak up and hold onto moisture, meaning less watering and happier roots—especially useful during dry spells or if you’re gardening in a drought-prone region (like I am).

Provides a Balanced Nutrient Release

Unlike synthetic fertilizers that give your plants a quick sugar rush, compost delivers nutrients slowly and steadily. It's a buffet, not a vending machine.

---

Soil Amendments: Helpful… But Not Always Essential

Now, don’t get me wrong—soil amendments have their place, especially when you’re starting with lifeless or nutrient-poor soil. But they’re often marketed as the only solution, when in reality, compost can solve most of the same problems in a more sustainable, cost-effective way.

Let’s break a few of them down:

• Manure – Great for nitrogen, but it needs time to break down or it can burn your plants.

• Bone Meal & Blood Meal – High in phosphorus and nitrogen, but can overload your soil if you’re already composting regularly.

• Rock Dusts (Azomite, Greensand) – Add trace minerals, but don’t improve soil structure or organic content.

• Lime & Sulfur – Adjust soil pH, but often unnecessary if compost is used consistently.

In my own garden, I’ve reached for these from time to time—usually when I was starting a new bed or planting a particularly hungry crop—but as my compost game got stronger, I found I needed them less and less. It’s kind of like switching from takeout to home cooking: more work at first, but better results long-term.

---

The Truth About Fertilizer

Here’s the gardening world’s dirty little secret: you don’t actually need that much fertilizer—if any—when your soil is healthy.

Synthetic fertilizers act like an IV drip: fast, intense, but not sustainable. They might give your plants a jolt, but they can disrupt soil biology, leach out with the rain, and leave you stuck in a cycle of constant reapplication.

And I’ll be honest—when I first started out, I relied on them more than I’d like to admit. It felt like a shortcut. But over time, I noticed diminishing returns. My plants weren’t as resilient, and my soil felt… tired.

Switching to compost-first was a revelation. Suddenly, everything was in better balance. My veggies got stronger. My herbs stopped bolting. And I stopped buying bags of stuff I didn’t really need.

---

Compost-First Gardening: The Lazy (Smart) Way to Thrive

So how do you actually do compost-first gardening? It’s simpler than it sounds. You don’t need a fancy system, expensive bins, or hours of labor. Just a willingness to feed your soil like it’s the main character—which it is.

Here are a few easy ways to get started:

1. Direct Composting

My favorite method. Bury kitchen scraps right in your garden beds and let nature do its thing. Worms love it, plants love it, and there’s no pile to manage.

2. Mulch with Organic Matter

Leaves, straw, grass clippings, wood chips—they all break down into compost over time and help retain moisture and suppress weeds in the meantime. It’s the garden gift that keeps giving.

3. Rotate Crops & Use Cover Crops

Rotate what you plant to avoid depleting your soil, and toss in a cover crop like clover or vetch during the off-season. They protect and nourish your soil while you rest.

4. Let the Soil Rest

Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. Give a bed a break. Let the microbes regroup. Trust the slow magic of nature. Rachel from That 1870’s Homestead on Youtube rested her garden for a WHOLE year after growing abundantly for seven. You can watch all about it, over on her Youtube Channel.

---

Bottom Line: Feed the Soil, Not Just the Plants

Do you need fertilizer? Maybe… but probably not if you’re feeding your soil well.
Do you need amendments? Occasionally. But compost will do the heavy lifting.

When you shift your mindset from “what do I feed my plants?” to “how do I support my soil?”—everything changes. Your garden becomes more resilient, more abundant, and a whole lot more fun to care for.

And best of all, you’ll spend less time second-guessing which product to buy, and more time actually enjoying your garden.

Your soil’s already trying to be amazing. Compost just gives it the support it needs.

HAPPY GARDENING 🪻🧑🏼‍🌾