found a 5 way compost

Lowe's has 1 CF bags of organic 5 ingredient compost made by Greensmix in their store in Lacey/Olympia Washington.
They also have cow manure and chicken manure by the same company. Cost was less than $4 a bag.

I was looking at their website, and it shows they carry mushroom compost, but I wasn't able to find it at the local store, so it may be in another region.

what were the five compost types in what you found?

I need to check that tomorrow, as I didn't have time to do so today. It was labeled as "five ingredient" which is what caught my eye (along with the word "organic"). When I find out I'll post the list.

It looks like they sell these individually, so the blend must contain them all: bark, chicken, mushroom, steer, and garden compost.

curio, 5 ingredient compost coming from one source (One company) sounds great, but I would still look for additional compost types or sources to add to my Mel's Mix.

I used Gardner and Bloome, (many ingredients) plus steer, chicken, mushroom and another "garden" compost with several ingredients. I also had just under 1 cu ft of my homemade compost. More is betterer.

I was wondering about that after reading other compost posts. I still have sources for fish, cow and chicken compost, but have had some trouble finding the mushroom compost. There is a mushroom farm near us, I may contact them to see if they ever sell theirs to the public.
I haven't seen the Gardners and Bloome products much around here and when I do, it's not their compost. I usually have used another organic 5 ingredient with a name beginning with E.B. (it's early and my brain is still running on reserve power) as well as the additional manure composts as listed above.

Sounds like you have a reasonable source for your blend. Only because we have had members who have gotten some bum compost, I am recommending using at least one or two of your other composts. It seems like a bad bag here or there can be offset by getting as many sources or even brands as we can to make the blend.

Kay

That makes sense.
I try to be very careful where I buy (or obtain) outside compost or ingredients, since our yard and gardens are chemical free, and we would like to keep it that way if possible. Also, I shudder to think what goes into the compost derived from public sources (such as the county yard waste dump) since so many people still use herbicides.
A friend of ours killed about 50 species Rhododendrons a couple of years ago when he bought "killer compost" that had been made from yard debris that contained high concentrations of herbicides.
Since we have small dogs and I like to go barefoot, and neither of us like the thought of eating poisons, we would rather deal with bugs and weeds without going that route.

I'd be using my own compost this year, but... we needed what was ready from both bins to amend soil in the front yard as we "rebuild" from a major septic issue that left it looking like a moonscape

I'd be using my own compost this year, but... we needed what was ready from both bins to amend soil in the front yard as we "rebuild" from a major septic issue that left it looking like a moonscape

Understandable, and septic issues can be devastating. Front yards are important too. My SFG Table Tops are very visable in the front yard, which is the only reasonable place to set them up (back yard is only about 10 ft deep and faces North, so no real sun until late afternoon). We try to keep the majority of the front yard with nice flowers, rhodies, lilacs and lawn. We are Caretakers for a County Park, so even if we did not take care of the yard for our own enjoyment, we feel a responsibility to keep it fairly nice for park guests.

I still have sources for fish, cow and chicken compost, but have had some trouble finding the mushroom compost. There is a mushroom farm near us, I may contact them to see if they ever sell theirs to the public.

Glad you have other reliable sources of compost available. I like mushroom compost and use it, but try to make sure that the blend contains no more than 1/5th of mushroom compost as there are concerns that the salt level

Good to know re: the mushroom compost. Thanks

landarch wrote:It looks like they sell these individually, so the blend must contain them all: bark, chicken, mushroom, steer, and garden compost.

I'd check that one out very carefully if I were you , don't just assume the mixed version is made from the components you mentioned ..

It could well be a mix of five poor quality non animal manure sources instead.. for instance grass , coir, straw, wood pulp, waste paper & factory veg process waste matter such as machine removed / extracted things like potato skins / apple skins / grain husks / ground up kernels etc.

@Curio,

I agree about potential concern for contaminated compost inputs used at the county yard waste dump. That can be disastrous. Many home owners are often unaware that if they apply "weed & feed" and add the grass clippings to the compost it can cause problems. Then wonder why nothing will grow in the garden.

There is a company located in Maple Valley, WA (near Renton I think) that process all the yard waste collected by King County. So they have a big compost operation going there and you can buy in bagged or bulk. Sounds like it could be a good resource. But I'd have to ask if they do any batch soil testing on the compost they produce before I'd consider using it.

---Dave

Thanks dsfin
I want to check out an operation near you (I think) that produces "moodoo" compost. They are relatives of a multi-generational family of farmers (used to be dairy farmers, now pumpkins, Christmas trees, and farm stand produce) that live about a mile from us. I guess that part of the family is still involved in dairy farming, so I want to see what I can get from them If I find it's a good as I've heard, I'll post the information.

Curio,

I found the farm you're referring to. It's called HY-GRASS FARMS. A 4th generation Swiss family owned dairy farm. Its located up on the Auburn/Enumclaw plateau. It's an Auburn, WA address.

MooDoo is made of aged cow manure and a sawdust mix. Looks like they only sell it in bulk (better still). $30 for a level pickup load or $15 for 1 yard.

Here is their website: http://www.moo-doo.com
And MooDoo page: http://www.moo-doo.com/moodoo

It's not a 5 way compost, but it looks pretty good.

Where about are you located? Auburn area?

---Dave

We met the owner of HyGrass Farms at the Seattle Garden show this year. We thought his prices were very reasonable, and if they run their farm and operation like their relatives (the Schilters) then I have confidence it's a safe product.

We're trying to determine how we would get this to our place, since our only vehicle is a van. I guess if all else failed, we could buy a sq yd and put it in those large totes (covered) for transport.

We're in the Nisqually Valley between JBLM and Lacey.