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WWYD - a compost for gardening question

smurfetteinredsmurfetteinred
in Eco-Friendly Family

So my husband has really been keeping the budget tight this last couple of weeks to try and get a few things paid off. I just got our garden planted (we're up in the frigid north remember) and I didn't get the chance to till compost in but I do plan on top dressing with it now that everything is in the ground. We have a 16x16' raised bed so a decent amount of space. I had been planning on tracking down some mushroom compost for the job but my inlaws have a compost heap in their yard that they compost yard waste in and my mil said I can dig some out of it and use that if I want. 

So the issue is that they aren't super green and there are probably some pesticides/ etc in there. They mulch their grass when they mow which is probably where most of any fertilizers and things would be so that doesn't end up in the pile.

Would you pay for store bought compost or would you go for the free but not perfect on the chemical front compost knowing that you're not going to be adding any other fertilizers or pesticides directly to the plants so what's in the compost is probably minimal.

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Re: WWYD - a compost for gardening question

  • danaann78danaann78

    Honestly, I'd take the free stuff.

    Check on Freecycle, though.  I regularly see posting for composted manure from the local organic livestock farms.

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  • Mystery2BMystery2B member
    I'd take the free stuff from the IL's.
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  • crackerjackprintercrackerjackprinter
    Free!
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  • kdellokdello member
    Free. All day.
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  • jennterrelljennterrell
    i think you'd be fine either way. But FYI mushroom compost is pretty cheap. I think it's liek $3 a bag, and i'd only put maybe 2-3 bags on that size garden if you are topdressing. I like to use it to mulch around tomato, pea, bean and squash plants.
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  • smurfetteinredsmurfetteinred

    imagejennterrell:
    i think you'd be fine either way. But FYI mushroom compost is pretty cheap. I think it's liek $3 a bag, and i'd only put maybe 2-3 bags on that size garden if you are topdressing. I like to use it to mulch around tomato, pea, bean and squash plants.

    Thanks! Maybe I'll check that out first then. I tried looking for mushroom compost all last summer and couldn't find it anywhere in my old city. I mean anywhere, and I tried! Other than the municipal lot (which I was told really should be avoided for a vegetable garden) no one anywhere carried compost. My old hometown sucked for that kind of thing. But I'm pretty confident that I can find it around here. If I can get it for under 10 bucks it would be worth not having to dig it out from the bottom of the inlaws heap. 

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