COMPOST

Somewhere, somebody recently asked about bulk compost. Well, today I went and got a truckload. I have a lot of squares to fill and I don't want to be left behind by the arrival of Spring. Went to my usual landscape place to get a yard. AFTER I paid for it at the office, the yard man tells me that I'm 3 weeks too early for sifted compost. The only stuff he has available is unsifted. So being uncharacteristically gracious, and also being a compost vapor addict, and also being mollified by the addition of another third yard of compost, I filled the truck and headed home. Here's some photos to help you visualize my day.





I was able to fill 4 5-gal pails of sifted compost before dark. Each pail went into it's own contractors' trash bag. Once I'm done emptying the truck sometime in the year 2013, those 5-gal bags will be added to the 5 part compost portion of Mel's Mix. I don't know how much the 5-gal pail of compost weighs, but its manageable. More would not be. And I do need the exercise.
Once this stuff is sifted, it is undistinguishable from my home grown compost. Can hardly wait to start making MM.

Once I'm done emptying the truck sometime in the year 2013,

You've got lots of sifting to do there, but looks like you'll have some pretty nice stuff there when you're done.

You just hit the nail on the head as to why I don't go down and get the free truck load of cotton boll compost. I just can't handled the unloading. But I may break down and see if they will load just 1/4 of a truck load. I have 4 new beds in the works. AND my son has 2-4 depending on weather and work planned, so I may stop by and get him a truck load, He has a teenager to help unload. I'm headed to his house next week.



Kay

Tom, are you concerned with what is in compost? I would like to get started like that but am concerned with what is in the make up. I know I am going to have to buy mine this year but hopefully just this year. Was figuring to buy at the box stores.

With my home grown compost, I only make one distinction. I have a pile that contains gutter sweepings. That is earmarked for flower beds and lawn repair.

I don't worry about the compost I get in bulk from the landscape supply house. I know what's in it.



This windrow starts out the same as a lot of my own compost: lawn trash, garden trash. By the time this windrow makes it to the other side of the yard, it will turn into the stuff you see in my truck. It is then sifted in a huge mechanical sifter to make garden ready compost. The trash I sift out of my unsifted truckload isn't problematical. It's stones, twigs, pine cones, the occasional lump of clay and a few stray pieces of plastic. All in all, not a bad deal for $18. + tax. Mushroom compost comes in at $45 a cu yd and is very nice stuff. That said, the very best compost comes from my personal yard and efforts. I know exactly what is in it. (I have the same attitude toward packaged foods - if I make it from scratch, I know what's in it - and it tastes better.) Probably the best stuff that went into my compost is the 5 50-lb feed bags of pure chicken manure I acquired for $5.00 a bag. This is very hot stuff and needs to be diluted.

Commercial packaged compost is made the same way, except that some of it is blended with other things. For my new squares, I will be blending the leaf compost with mushroom compost, cow compost, my own compost (if it's ready) and whatever other kind(s) I can get retail to make up the 5 kinds. I'm a penny pincher and tend to shop around to get the best deal I can get.

Tom

The compost I make and the compost I get from the landscape supply house is biologically active. The bagged stuff may be "sterilized." I prefer biologically active.