Compost Ingredients

[jokenmar]

I have found a compost for sale in 40 lb. bags for less than 2 dollars each. The ingredients are humus and cow manure. Is this a good thing to use when mixing my soil for my square foot garden? The instructions are 1/3 peat moss, which is going to be very expensive for me to buy, 1/3 course vermiculite, and 1/3 compost. I do not have any homemade compost to use this spring, so will have to buy some. Any suggestions?

Also, I read somewhere (and cannot for the life of me remember where) that there is a good substitute for peat moss that you can use. I know it started with the letter (c) but do not remember the name. Anyone know what it is?

[douglas]

I use a few bags of those now and then, very good stuff this year I'm heading out to the compost Ben with my truck where the city drops off all the leaves and grass clippings from all the neighborhoods as soon as they run it through the grinder. I tried a few hands full on one of my squash hills last year and it seemed to do well I gotta cut back some this year

[jokenmar]

Oh, I never thought of checking out those places. That is a good idea. But what if people have used poisonous chemicals on their lawns, etc. Will that harm the garden?

[douglas]

Well I'm sure some have but I would think that only a small % would use that stuff, I hope I would think that some of it would be washed into the soil after a good rain and a hard winter

[crazy1]

Well there will be a trace amount of the chemicals in the clippings. If you can get all the leaves you can. Except for Black Walnut, the leaves will be one of the best things you can use. Grass clippings are also really good to use. Try top mix them up and add some feed grade molasses. It's fairly cheap and feeds the microbes that do the composting. You can also use it in the garden to feed the soil. Now compost ISN'T a fertilizer, it's food for the soil and the good microbes that live in it.

[Compost Pharmer]

You're not feeding the plants, but rather the microbes in the soil. They break it down so the plants can use it as food. As for dried molasses, I buy it at feed stores. Down here they call it 'Sweet PDZ' and it is cheaper. I think the last bag I bought, was $5 - 7$ for 50 lbs. I usually buy 2 - 3 bags at a time. Don't know where you live, but down here, in Texas, we have Army Ants that bit and hurt. Put some on the hills and the ants will leave. The ants don't like the microbial activity in the soil.

[jokenmar]

Greg: Thanks, I did not know that. We have those aggravating ants here in Bogalusa as well. I will check my local feed store for that.

I found organic humus for $1.15 per 40 lb. bag yesterday at Home Depot, too. And, I don't have a chipper/shredder for my leaves, so still trying to figure that one out.

[crazy1]

If you have a lawn mower just run em through it. If not try the Xdx method a garbage can and a weed whip

[Deleted]

It works!!

Also does newspaper too!!

PLEASE USE SAFETY GOGGLE AND GLOVES WHEN USING THIS METHOD. A PAPER MASK MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA.

[digger48]

Just my 2 cents. Everybody knows I'm pretty tight with money but found a free source of molasses. The local feed company adds molasses to the cow feed from 5 gal buckets. Well they don't drain em so good and they let me have em for hauling. Have to cut the lids off but there is about an inch of molasses in the bottom of each bucket. When we clean em up we take em to and consignment house and get a buck to 2 bucks a bucket. Free seed money. We work at a peat bog, so my question is there any near you? We charge 20 dollars for a 1 1/2 yd scoop.

[crazy1]

thats great digger. free molasses now you'll be growin the sweet stuff