It may seem odd to have a discussion about garden soil during this last week of November, but it's a time when you still could be doing something about your soil while you ponder and plan for your spring soil improvements.

I'm always a bit amused at the reactions of people visiting my garden, as even experienced gardeners tend to overlook the obvious. I'm fairly used to answering questions about various crops and their culture, or some of the more curious gardening aids being tested in the garden.

Then, I wait for someone to notice. I'll casually pick up a handful of it and toss it about. I'll even stare down at it, but no one seems to notice.

Finally, a guest may comment, "Well, no wonder things grow so nicely, you're lucky to have such good soil!"

It's at that point that I find myself searching for what to say next, because it's a topic that I could talk about for hours.

It is also one of the most misunderstood aspects of gardening, and strangely, is always one of the most overlooked. The assumption that one is "lucky enough" to have good soil or that the property was once "farmland," simply holds no merit.

I'm not aware of any virgin patch of ground that is naturally well-drained, friable, free of rocks and debris, richly filled with nutrients, minerals and a proper pH and contains a high composition of organic matter.

More so, if one were "lucky enough" to find such acreage, it wouldn't stay that way for very long unless the

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soil was continually replenished with copious amounts of new organic materials.

When I moved to my second home in Huntington, the soil all around the development was virgin forest; that is to say, it was chock-full of trees, brush, swamp areas, the hardest hardpan clay imaginable and so many rocks that you could build a stonewall for miles. It was ugly.

Unrelenting obstacles greeted my powerful 14-horsepower Troybilt rototiller as it attempted to churn up this virgin ground. The hardpan clay soil that was so thick you could actually shape it with your hands was the first discovery.

Next, came the rocks, and more rocks, and so many rocksthat three years later, I'm still plucking them out. Soon afterwards, it rained. I watched, powerless at this point, as the poorly graded and compact soil collected water in it like a big drain basin. Three days after the rain had stopped, the water was still there, unable to penetrate the thick soil. I knew then that this was going to be a long-term project, if I ever expected to harvest anything from this ground.

BETTER COMPOST

In that first year, I had to haul in some 35 yards of "commercially-made compost" soil to dump in the garden. The product I purchased was a finely screened and richly dark airy material that would quickly improve the soil structure, and allow me to plant immediately. It would also begin the process of "building the soil."

There were two serious flaws to this initial plan, the first being its cost. At nearly $55 per yard of compost, I knew I wouldn't want to spend $1,700 a year on organic matter for the garden. Secondly, while this particular batch of "compost" was of a very high quality, it just wasn't like the homemade version that I'm accustomed to.

As any serious gardener will tell you, if you garden, then you compost as well, and that correlation must be understood.

A compost pile is nothing more than a place where a fusion of organic wastes is allowed to decompose. In very little time, through a combination of part science and part "art," the once bulky waste becomes transformed into a new type of soil - one that contains some extraordinary properties.

Preferably you will have several compost piles all working at the same time, with the first bin reserved for fresh green and brown matter, which then gets turned into a semi-decomposed bin, while a third bin hosts the final and thoroughly decayed product.

The end result produces a fibrous mixture of decomposed shredded plant matter made from a variety of organic wastes.

It is extremely dark in appearance, airy and light in weight, yet its structure is homogeneous and full of microbial activity that easily manipulates the poorest soils.

Through the additions of limestone, various rock powders, and nitrogen amendments while the compost was being built, the finished product is like a lightning bolt of energy for the garden plants.

The subject of composting consumes entire books, and I suggest that gardeners read some of them to fully understand the various ways to compost. It's important to understand how important compost really is in succeeding with your garden. The addition of organic matter into your soil is not a one-time procedure that you do once at the beginning and then you're done.

All of the organic matter added to your soil is consumed in a year's time. It is as simple as that. Building and maintaining a compost pile is a requirement if you want to successfully garden.

I've listed some suggestions that hopefully will encourage you to start planning your own ongoing compost project.

Use compost bins or tumbler's. Bins facilitate decay, help aerate the piles of compost and keep things neat and orderly. Several bins allow for the constant transferring of compost from raw, to semi to finished compost. For smaller needs, the Compost Tumbler is a great device that produces extraordinary compost.

Carbon, nitrogen, water, and bacteria are the key to successful compost. Using roughly equal volumes of carbon material (leaves, straw, dried foliage, woody materials) and nitrogen materials (fresh manure, grass clippings, vegetable peelings and any green plant matter) is essential. A layer of ordinary garden soil adds plenty of bacteria (the microbial activity that begins decomposition) and keeping the compost moist (not soggy) maintains this activity.

Avoid meat and meat

products including juices, grease, gravy and bones, diseased garden plants, charcoal ashes, pet litter, and invasive weeds. Products that can be composted are endless, though, and it is really how creative you want to be (vacuum cleaner waste, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, paper napkins are all acceptable) or how available certain items are.

Smaller is faster. If speed is what you are after in producing compost, then chop up or shred materials to enhance decomposing. Materials that are finely shredded will turn to compost in weeks, rather then months.

Prevent freezing. Most composting microorganisms become inactive below 40 degrees, although psychrophillic bacteria work in temperatures as low as 28 degrees. Keep the pile warm in winter by covering it in clear plastic, which serves as a solar covering. If the pile freezes despite your efforts, don't worry; the decomposition process will resume during the spring.

In the meantime, for gardeners planning on starting a new garden or those with existing gardens, there's still time left to turn under a grassy patch and to haul in (purchase) some compost or manure. Fresh manure that is simply spread on top of the soil will decompose over the winter and provide a terrific head start for next year's soil improvement efforts.

Questions of general interest will be published as space permits. Mail to: Bing J. Carbone, 46 Winthrop Woods Road, Shelton CT 06484, or e-mail him at bjcgardens@aol.com