Forest Floor Secrets: The Best “Free” Compost is Under Your Feet

Don’t Buy Compost! Get it for Free…The Ghost

If there is one thing fifty years in the shadows has taught me, it’s that Mother Nature is the best gardener I know.

When you’re setting up a guerrilla plot, the biggest mistake you can make is hauling 50-pound bags of commercial potting soil into the woods. Not only does it kill your back, but nothing screams “illegal grow site” to a hiker or a drone like a bright yellow bag of Miracle-Gro sitting in a clearing.

That being said if you do use potting soil for a site (I do occasionally as it is fast and simple) when you get to the site open and dump all your potting soil in a pile, and hide the bags immediately. Always be ready in case someone wanders by.

The Ghost’s Secret: Indigenous Leaf Mold

If you walk into the woods from your grow site and kick away the top layer of dry leaves and twigs, you’ll find exactly what your plants are’ craving. Beneath that “duff” layer is a thick, dark, crumbly material called leaf mold.

This isn’t just dirt; it’s years (perhaps 100’s of years) of decomposed organic matter, teeming with beneficial fungi and indigenous microbes that are already “dialed in” to your local environment. It is literally….free compost, there for the taking.

Be sure to get your free compost from under deciduous trees, or brush, and do not use the compost you will find under evergreens, as that compost will likley be too acidic.

How to Use It:

• The Mix: Dig down about 4–6 inches to get that rich, dark “black gold.” Mix it 50/50 with your native soil.
• The Aeration: It’s naturally airy, which helps with drainage—one can always add perlite, as it is light and easy to carry with you.
• The Stealth Factor: Using what’s on-site means no plastic trash to pack out. Never leave litter, be a good steward of the land.

I’ve seen plants grown in pure forest floor leaf mold outperform “premium” store-bought soils. I have grown many 15 ft tall giants using this method. It’s free, it’s right next to your site, and it’s been the secret to my success for decades.

Keep it simple, keep it hidden, and let the forest do the heavy lifting for you.