Should a fertilzer be added to enrich the compost?
It’s not essential but could depend on the material to be composted. A varied combination of garden and kitchen waste will contain enough minerals and nitrogen to produce the right balance. If only leaves or other carbon-rich material is to be composted, then a source of nitrogen (blood meal or bone meal;) will need to be added. The addition of natural phosphorus or other powdered mineral could be beneficial since the minerals will combine with the humus to become more readily available to the plants. Jacques Petit2 suggests that these mineral powders help stabilize nitrogen and control compost odour.
