Compost making is a simple process and can be easily made at home but when it becomes necessary to buy compost from stores that specifically sell them, there are certain things to look into. For this, it is good to know a few facts about compost.
Fundamentally, compost is made up of carbon, nitrogen, water and oxygen and when they are present in right ratio, the microbes break them into compost. Usually, while buying compost, there would be various samples available in the shop. The buyer should be cautious and find whether the compost smells sweet and does not have a pungent smell because unhealthy smell is an indication of unhealthy compost.
In appearance, darker and fine grained compost are better which shows that it is a good combination of organic material and original wood chips, grass clippings and other items. If the compost contains fillers, then its color would be lighter and if it is more, the quality of the compost reduces. A good population of earthworm in the compost would greatly help to do well for the growth of plants in the garden after the compost is applied. The earthworms help to aerate the soil and break down larger materials leaving behind worm castings that are good for the plants.
It should be realized that a quality compost is really an investment and if it is done once, then a gardener will be able to make own compost, in the successive years.