100 percent compost in bed

[drdachel]

Under the advice of a family member who is a landscaper for a city, I recently made a shade bed for perennials that was made entirely out of compost. I transplanted some plants which had been doing well but were cluttered to this new spot. My worry is that the roots won't have much that's solid to hold onto in stiff winds. Does anyone have any history of this. If this does work, the savings over topsoil purchases would be about $10/yard for me, so it's worth trying.

Thanks

[plantsinthemail]

I can relate to your concern with the 100% compost. I did a new perennial bed 3 years ago with strictly 40 year old rotted sawdust. The plants seem to do well enough, but I could not keep it wet. It needed water every 2-3 days. Last year, we added a truck load of sand, tilled it in, and the consistency is much better. We mulched it heavy and the plants really took off.

I would guess that your compost would be very similar to the sawdust I used. I never had an issue with the wind, but then my plants were not tall enough to catch a lot of wind either.

Thanks

plantsinthemail