Types of Compost...

I have been pricing all different brands and types of compost for my first SFG boxes I am building this weekend. Are there types of compost I should not use? Is composted manure okay? What about mushroom compost? There is so much out there and I don't want to mess up the first and most important part.

Thanks...
Rob

When I started SFG and was buying bags of compost, I used steer manure, chicken manure, mushroom compost, and compost mixes from 2 different suppliers-worked great. You're lucky, not everybody can find the variety you have.

My local gardening place has their own compost, but it has a ton of sticks and stuff in it so I think I may steer clear of that. Thanks for the reply

Hi Rob,
My experience is I think it is worth having a few different things as Boffer suggested. Some are high in nitrogen, others high in potash etc so if you have a blend you are covering your options.
I do the same with my ongoing compost barrels, put lots of different things in.
There were several posts on the old forum where people had used only one type and were very disappointed in the results with plants not growing well. It is often hard to determine by what is printed on the bags.
I look forward to hearing how your new garden goes. Keep us posted.
Cheers Ray in Aus

mel's book recommend a minimum of 5 different types of compost.

it took me a while last year but i was able to find 5.

read the backs of bags - sometimes you'll be surprised. i know i saw some 'topsoil' bags last year that were actually a blend of 3 different kinds of compost which was pretty neat.

i had to go to several different places to get 5 different kinds. i'm starting the search again this year as i plan on expanding and don't have enough 'homemade' compost to do boxes, but i have enough for replenishing each square as i use it. . . maybe next year i won't have to buy any compost but one step at a time.

mushroom compost
posy power (horse)
cow manure
chicken manure

those were the easiest to find for me. i did also find 'garden compost' for sale at tractor supply that i used as the 5th kind last year.

I personally can only seem to get my hands on..

Sheep Manure
Cow Manure
Horse Manure (from my own horses, this stuff is only about 6-7 months old but the horses have been chopping it up in the field, and the stuff in the big girls field has actually been heating up for the last 7 months. She even lays on it because its all toasty lol)
Chicken Manure (from my own chickens, I have chicken poop that is over a year old now)
Duck Poo Tea and some Duck Manure from my duck house
Goat Manure (mixed with spent alfalfa hay)


I bought just today some 3-way compost and cow manure. I'll probably scoop some out of the field from my big mare's field, and start to work this week. I'm going to be made poor from buying vermiculite though, that stuff is $22 a bag, and it's super hard to find.

I recently moved to town and really miss the ease at getting manure -- I especially miss the chicken house litter -- wonderful stuff when aged! I made a trip to a friend's ranch last week got a nice load of cow manure/ hay mix, but it is too raw for the garden, so am composting it. I was amazed to find that Home Depot (the largest garden center near me) does not carry any compost or manure. Hadn't thought about Tractor Supply, so will check them out. So far I've found cotton burr and mushroom compost (both pretty expensive), cow manure and a mixed manure (Scott's brand). But I did find a topsoil at Big Lots that has "composted forest products", peat moss, and humus and states it contains no field dirt. At $7.00 a 2 CF bag, it's affordable. I also have a trash can left of my homemade mixed compost.

As to the vermiculite, I had to pay $26.00 a bag. Yikes! So I used a bit less of it and more of my homemade compost. But hopefully it will all work out.

belfrybat wrote:I recently moved to town and really miss the ease at getting manure -- I especially miss the chicken house litter -- wonderful stuff when aged! I made a trip to a friend's ranch last week got a nice load of cow manure/ hay mix, but it is too raw for the garden, so am composting it. I was amazed to find that Home Depot (the largest garden center near me) does not carry any compost or manure. Hadn't thought about Tractor Supply, so will check them out. So far I've found cotton burr and mushroom compost (both pretty expensive), cow manure and a mixed manure (Scott's brand). But I did find a topsoil at Big Lots that has "composted forest products", peat moss, and humus and states it contains no field dirt. At $7.00 a 2 CF bag, it's affordable. I also have a trash can left of my homemade mixed compost.

As to the vermiculite, I had to pay $26.00 a bag. Yikes! So I used a bit less of it and more of my homemade compost. But hopefully it will all work out.

Wow you pay quite a bit for compost. I've never seen mushroom compost in stores, but my cow, sheep, 3-way mix, and occasionally in the summer you find a "green matter" compost is around $2.89 a for a 15kg bag. Which is the only size I can find.

I pay similar for the Vermiculite, when I found it, it's $22.00/bag (110 litre bag).