Among its many attributes, compost:

Reduces the need to water. During the East Coast's severe drought in 1999, the composted test fields at the Rodale Institute in Kutztown yielded 137 percent more corn and 152 percent more soybeans than the same crops grown conventionally - with the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, that is. It was the increased water retention in the soil of the composted plots that made the difference.

Toughens turf. Tests on golf courses and soccer fields in Britain found that applying 6 to 12 millimeters of compost resulted in thicker, greener grass with greater durability. Spread one-quarter to one-half inch of compost over your lawn in the spring or fall, ideally after aerating it.

Gives more flower power. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Tilth Research Lab found that native plants grown on slopes in compost-amended soil were larger and more numerous than those grown on slopes with no compost. Plus, the soil retained more water, just as in the Rodale Institute study. Top-dress your established flowerbeds with an inch to two inches of compost. No need to turn it in; treat it like mulch. The compost not only keeps down weeds, but it nourishes plants as time, weather and earthworms work it into the soil.

Increases the health value of home-grown foods. According to a 2003 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, strawberries grown in soil enriched with compost had more vegetative growth, more fruit, and higher levels of phytonutrients and antioxidant capacity in the fruit. Before you plant vegetables, incorporate an inch to two inches of compost into the beds.

Compost does so much for soil and the plants growing in it that you might say it's the most important tool in the garden shed. So make it, get it free from your town, or buy it in bags from the store, but don't pass it up.

For weed-free, nutrient-rich compost that's easy to make and breaks down quickly, combine comfrey (Symphytum) and straw (not hay). The folks at Woods End Laboratories, a compost-quality analysis company in Maine, call this the ultimate garden compost.

You can find the recipe in the Gardener's Corner at www.woodsend.org, and more about planting and using comfrey in the garden at www.organicgardening.com.

Therese Ciesinski is a senior editor at Organic Gardening magazine in Emmaus, Pa.

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