Need another type of compost.

Beachmom 3/24/2017, 9:46 pm

Wilmington NC area gardeners. I'm making my second bed. I have Black Hen, Black Cow, mushroom compost and some homemade compost. What can be my fifth and where to buy? Thanks

**Scorpio Rising** 3/24/2017, 10:07 pm

Do you have a farmer friend? Cow, chicken, ummmrabbit, anything?

**trolleydriver** 3/24/2017, 11:32 pm

If your home made compost was made from a good variety of materials you may not need another kind. Just double the quantity of home made compost. More experienced SFGers may want to correct me on that. Now that my beds are started I only use home made compost when adding compost to my existing Mel's Mix.

CitizenKate 3/25/2017, 12:04 am

My first two SFG boxes had only 3 kinds of compost that were available to buy locally, cow manure, cotton burr, and mushroom. Everything I raised in those boxes grew beautifully and vigorously. Since then, I've acquired more different kinds, including what I make myself with used coffee grinds, dead leaves, and veggie scraps.

I agree that more variety is better, but I wouldn't worry too much if you can't find all five different kinds, just use whatever you can get that's available, and your garden will do fine. And I agree with what TD says about homemade compost. It's probably the single best thing you can use, especially if a few worms discover your little secret and take up housekeeping in your bin. That should be a gardener's blessing.

**sanderson** 3/25/2017, 3:06 am

Beachmom, You have 2 kinds of manures, mushroom compost and homemade, so I think you are ahead of some Newbies. Home Depot may carry Ecoscraps Compost (veggie-based) and Whole Foods periodically has their own veggie-based compost. Worm castings can often be found on Craig's List. In your area, can you locate kelp meal or crab meal? It's good to locate as many different types for replenishing the beds in the future. Bite my tongue, but I am trying some of Nature's Care Very Good Compost this spring along with bagged cow and chicken mature as the winter compost pile wasn't turned sufficiently due to our blessed rain.

ralitaco 3/25/2017, 8:56 pm

Hey Beachmom,
That is a tough question. Farmer Supply down on Oleander, near Dawson, sells bags of worm castings.
There is a LLama or Alpaca farm down by Southport that sells their manure. https://wilmington.craigslist.org/grd/6014637016.html
Seaside Mulch used to sell Leaf compost by the bag, but it was full of rocks and was very very wet

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