Since my garden was so successful in 2010, I wanted to expand it by more than 50%. So in the spring of 2011, we moved the fencing and built more beds.

This time, I used mushroom compost vs the municipal compost. Mushroom compost, a by-product of mushroom farming, is high in organic material and nutrients and it holds moisture well. Mushrooms use different nutrients than garden vegetables so, there are tons of nutrients available for my plants.

I had known that mushroom compost was supposed to be great for plants, but had never been able to find a source close by. I finally found one! I had 10 yards of mushroom compost delivered and we got to work building the new beds and filling them with compost, vermiculite and coir. The little compost we had left over got mixed into some of the existing beds for added nutrients. It was time to plant and wait to see the results.

The vegetable plants were much larger, healthier and produced so much! In fact, they produced so well that in the future, I can grow more varieties and fewer individual plants.

Cherry tomatoes without mushroom compost.

Cherry tomatoes with mushroom compost. Mushroom compost is steroids for plants!