Don’t Grow Plants—Grow Soil: The Secret to a Thriving Garden
Healthy plants don’t start in garden centres-they start underground. At Tierra Projects, we believe sustainable gardening begins with the soil, not just the seeds. That’s why we focus on building rich, living soil ecosystems that support resilient, productive gardens all year round.
Let’s explore how compost and soil amendments can transform your garden from the ground up.
Why Healthy Soil Matters
Soil isn’t just dirt—it’s a living web of microbes, fungi, minerals, organic matter, and water. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web explains that when this underground network is thriving, your plants are stronger, pests are fewer, and chemical fertilisers become unnecessary.
When soil is alive, everything above it flourishes.
Soil Amendments & How They Help
There’s no one-size-fits-all soil. That’s why we work with a variety of soil amendments to improve structure, fertility, and biological activity.
Here are some of our favourites:
Compost for Gardening: Full of beneficial microbes, organic compost improves structure, boosts moisture retention, and feeds the soil over time.
Rock Dust: Packed with trace minerals and elements that plants love but rarely get from depleted soils.
Dolomitic Lime: Raises pH and adds calcium and magnesium—great for balancing acidic soils.
Biochar: Think of it as a “microbe hotel”—a stable carbon source that provides long-term habitat for soil life.
Pelletised Organic Fertiliser: A great jump-start for tired soil, but we use it as a backup—not the foundation.
Composting 101: The Basics
Composting is one of the best ways to close the loop in your garden. It turns kitchen scraps, prunings, and leaves into nutrient-rich organic compost that fuels plant growth naturally.
Here are some common composting options and how they fit into different lifestyles:
Vermicomposting (Worm Farm): Perfect for small households and apartments. Just keep it shady in summer!
Gedye Bins: A good all-rounder for families—install rat-proof mesh underneath if you’re composting food scraps.
Bokashi Composting: Fermentation-based indoor system that breaks down food waste fast—great for pre-composting.
Hot Composting: Fast and effective if you have a large garden and access to materials in bulk.
Leaf Mould: A slow fungal-dominant process ideal for perennial beds. Collect autumn leaves and let them decompose quietly over time.
How to Use Compost in Your Garden Beds
Here’s how we like to rebuild garden beds the sustainable way:
Clean out the bed: After harvest, cut plants at the base instead of pulling them out—this reduces disturbance to soil life. Remove thick layers of mulch, leave some or semi broken down mulch to be mixed in.
Mix your compost: Combine with dolomite lime, rock dust, biochar or any other amendments tailored to your gardens needs.
Apply to the bed: Spread over the surface and lightly mix into the top few centimetres, blending in any leftover mulch.
Plant & Mulch: Replant your veggies and top with straw or lucerne mulch to lock in moisture.
Other Compost Uses You’ll Love
DIY Seedling Mix: Screen finished compost, then mix with equal parts coarse sand and coconut coir or vermiculite.
Transplanting Aid: Mix with backfill soil to help new plants settle in, especially fruit trees and shrubs.
Top-Dressing: Spread around existing plants before mulching to give them a nutrient boost.
Our Home Composting Kits (Soil Magic Starts Here)
Want to compost at home but not sure where to begin? We offer two tidy, effective solutions to get you started:
🪱 Kitchen Garden Composting Kit – $698.50
Includes:
✔ 2x 220L Gedye compost bins with rat-proof mesh
✔ Steel kitchen compost caddy
✔ Bokashi activator
✔ 2x 20L food-grade bins with lids
✔ Composting instructions
🌿 Bulk Garden Waste Compost Bin – $495
For larger gardens or serious pruners. We install a wire mesh & star picket system that holds over a cubic metre of garden waste. Great for cutting back green bin usage. Already using our garden maintenance services? Tierra Projects can set up and manage your compost for you—adding trimmings and food scraps, turning the pile, and applying the finished compost with soil amendments to your garden. Easy.
