Best use for compost?

[frdnicholas]

I've got several 4x4 ft garden beds currently with snow peas. I've also got a finished batch of compost. Is it useful to lay the compost on top of the bed around the plants and then work it into the soil when the plants are finished or would it be better to wait until the plants finish and then mix it into the existing soil? Is that clear or muddled the way my brain tends to work these days?

 

[Marck]

For now, lightly mulch your snow peas with some of the compost. Later you can incorporate the rest in when the crop is finished.