This week on the Good Growing podcast we dive into the world of soil and compost. Ken and Chris answer your questions asked by actual home gardeners. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/KR9CLt2izW4 Skip to what you want to know: Hey Ken! Spring, weather, and our new intro music Amending Soil Questions -3:09 Can you recommend a user-friendly home soil test for me to buy that will guide me through the amendment process? -6:33 How to amend heavy clay soil? -8:29 What kind of sand is best to add to a small garden? -9:41 When is the best time to add manure or other fertilizers? -12:15 How deeply should we mix in organic matter like manure? -13:26 Is it harmful to have too much organic matter? Like over 5%? -15:00 Are coffee grounds good to put in the garden, if so, how much? -17:20 Is Calcium from eggshells is that a good source and how to make it readily available? Composting -18:29 Can I put kitchen scraps directly into the garden, or does it need to sit in a composter for a little while before it goes into the garden? -20:35 How long do you compost table scraps in leaves before introducing them to garden soil? Old potting soil -21:48 What do you do with the used soil from pots? -24:39 Perlite is often used as a soil medium in transplant containers. But since it is not biodegradable, is this bad for our garden soil? -26:24 Can you plant directing in the bags that soil comes in?? -29:29 Should we bother with cover crops in raised beds/container gardens? Soil Testing video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv7iocI90os Illinois Extension Soil Testing website https://extension.illinois.edu/soil/soil-testing Contact us! Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies. -- You can find us on most podcast platforms. SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-555304573 iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/show/good-growing Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR Vurbl https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/ Listen notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/ Ivy https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902 Castbox https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us Google podcasts https://bit.ly/3AiYjTD