Contaminated compost

While looking at the link about something else, I discovered an article which exactly confirms what I thought happened to my raised box last year. For those who have stunted plants growth or difficulty growing plants, please read what I wrote on May 2 in the topic "my new SFG is dyeing" (copied below), and then go to the side http://organicgardening.about.com/ and read an article "Contaminated Compost" from May 16 (you need to scroll down a bit).


Dangerous compost
Jola on Sun May 02, 2010 1:14 pm

I have been using store bought compost for years without any problems. Last year was different. Last year I built three boxes for raised bed gardening (they will be SFG this year). I was able to fill two of them with my own compost, and some of store bought compost (among other ingredients). For third one I had to use only store bought 1 bag of compost. I used a little bit of compost from the same bag for my deck box. I sowed radishes etc., and planted marigolds in third box. Marigolds in other boxes flourished as did other plants, in 3rd one marigolds were dying. After waiting for 3 week for radishes and other seeds to sprout (!) I knew I would never get any plants. At the same time I noticed that grass around 3rd box is dying as if someone treated it with herbicide. Plants in a deck box (just a bit of compost) were struggling. Marigolds in 3rd box eventually died, and nothing sprouted.
What I concluded was that some unscrupulous compost supplier used herbicide on some part of his compost were plants were growing in it, and packed it for distribution. I flushed that box with water for some time which caused more grass to die, but eventually after a month, I planted other veggies there and they were fine. I do not have any other explanation for that strange effect of dead marigolds, seeds not sprouting, and grass dead around one box only. Now I'm really reluctant to buy compost.

Good and informative article. Scary though. I really liked the "test" they suggest using to see if the compost is contaminated or not.