It’s almost Halloween, and one of my favourite parts of the season is carving pumpkins! I was never really one for costumes – but give me a knife! I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at it, but every year I make a one-of-a-kind jack-o-lantern. I save my seeds (a very tasty roasted treat) and when All Hallows’ Eve is over, my work of art graces the city-wide compost collection with literally thousands of others. But what if they didn’t have to end up in the green bin?

 

Pumpkins are a great source of nitrogen, so if you have a backyard compost pile, consider burying your carved-up friend with some fallen leaves. The key is to cut the pumpkin into manageable sized pieces so your compost monsters don’t have to work as hard to break it down. By next spring you’ll have some top-notch soil on your hands.

 

Pumpkin compost

 

All of that compost will give your soil a nutrient boost! Often overlooked, soil is a complex organism that can vary from region to region, or even from one yard to another. There are three main soil types (sand, loam, clay) and four main soil layers (O, A, B, and C). Think of it like the layers of those tiny coffee crisp bars you totally left for the trick-or-treaters. Healthy soil has a thin organic matter layer on top (O horizon) before moving into nutrient rich soil (often called top soil or the A horizon) underneath. In new development neighbourhoods, the top soil has often been scraped away, leaving just the secondary soil (B horizon) that has little-to-no nutrient value – it’s enough to give me nightmares! All of this sits atop the C horizon, the layer of bedrock at the bottom of it all.

 

Soil

 

No matter what kind of soil you find in your backyard, it can always benefit from amendments and nutrient additions. These can come in many forms, but what they should all have in common is that they come from natural sources. Often bags of “top soil” you see piled high in garden centres are bewitched with too-high nitrogen levels and additives that can throw your plants completely out of whack. Sure, if you want your beautiful rose bush to flower in late fall you can go for the high chemical additives. But beware -- you may end up with a plant that will struggle through the next growing season.  A frightening thought!

 

Natural soil amendments like compost or well composted manure, will slow-release nutrients into the ground instead of dumping them in a rush. Sprinkle a one-inch layer across your entire yard (grass, garden, everything!) and let Mother Nature do the rest for you! Even better – you can drop that rake and leave your leaves to break down into your soil over the winter.

 

Lawn with leaves in the fall

 

Some trees are very finicky about what they are growing in, while others couldn’t care less. Take for example the red maple (Acer rubrum) – it refuses to grow well in anything but sandy to loamy soils with a low pH. On the other hand, silver maples (Acer saccharium) will grow in almost anything - sandy soil, loamy clay and even compacted secondary soil that has little-to-no nutrients to speak of.

 

Of course, we are careful to choose the right tree for your soil type in our Backyard Tree Planting Program – we wouldn’t want to leave you howling! But just like every cauldron brew needs a little dead man’s toe, your tree needs its black gold. Keep it happier and healthier this Halloween and give it a helping hand!