Newly mulched garden border
For a couple of years now I have been searching for a good source of compost to mulch my garden and allotment, with no success. It has been frustrating to say the least. It wasn’t as if my soil had gone completely without any new organic matter. There have been toppings of leaf mould, spent compost from containers and the occasional dollop of home-made stuff but none of it goes very far. There’s something about mulching your soil, covering it in rich, crumbly organic matter, that makes me feel like a proper gardener but the soil levels in some of my raised beds had dropped and I knew I needed to get hold of a large delivery and soon.
For sowing and in containers I tend to use New Horizon’s multi-purpose compost but it would be an expensive habit to use this as a garden mulch. I have a compost bin in the garden for kitchen and garden waste and another at the allotment but it’s surprising how little compost they actually generate. The regular supply of horse manure that used to be delivered has dried up too. My local council used to sell green waste, once it was composted, at a local garden centre. It was pretty dreadful stuff though. We went along one day to have a look at it but we could smell it as soon as we got out of the car and the aroma wasn’t good. As you approached it you could feel the heat coming off it. I’m generally of the opinion that if something smells bad it’s best avoided, and there was no way it was going inside the car. A few days later I heard how it had been used by a local Britain in Bloom group and that it had killed the plants they had just planted into it. Something was clearly not right with the composting process and last year I read that the company had their licence removed for breaches of health and safety legislation at the composting site.
There’s one plot at the allotments with bags piled up of truly gorgeous black stuff. The plot holder is a dentist and has a lot of farmers as patients. A couple of us think he extracts agreement from them to supply him whilst he’s also extracting their teeth. I’m not a fan of going to the dentist and I’d probably agree to anything if I had a drill coming towards me. Without such contacts or powers of persuasion I ended up spending the best part of 2 mornings last week on the internet, the phone and on twitter trying to track down some compost.
I found places which sold farmyard manure but I’m still wary that this could be contaminated with the herbicide that caused so many problems a few years ago. The other alternative was mushroom compost which I’ve heard is great stuff particularly for brassica crops. But even that has animal manures in it and is no to be used around acid loving plants because of the lime it contains. Green waste compost was really what I was looking for. We thought we’d cracked it but then discovered that the product had added fertilisers in it, artificial ones and as I grow organically this was no good either. Then there were places that had the right product but would only deliver loose and as we don’t have a driveway I don’t think the neighbours would have been too happy with a small mountain of compost dumped in the access road.
Finally, I was put in touch with a really helpful man from a company who deal with the green waste from several neighbouring counties. I think he could tell I was on the verge of giving up. Apparently there was a recycling centre that wasn’t too far from us and they sold it by the bag for £2. I did the sums and it was significantly cheaper than anything else I had been quoted. Wellyman picked up a test bag and later that night as I spread it around of the beds I was hoping it wouldn’t be riddled with rubbish. I nearly did a little dance because it was gorgeous. Dark, crumbly, not a sign of plastic and it smelt, like it should, of woodland floor.
So, on Saturday, we made several trips, filling the boot. Ideally Wellyman wouldn’t have picked up a brand new car the day before and we wouldn’t have spent the journeys worrying that the suspension was going to break. And, in hindsight, it would have made more sense to do it on a day when it wasn’t raining. By the time we had emptied the bags around the garden and the plot, the combination of compost and rain meant we looked like we had just emerged from a swamp.
I’m a happy gardener now though. It’s strangely satisfying looking out on to the dark mulch that now covers the borders. I love a bit of neatness and order and it certainly appeals to that side of me. We need to make another trip to finish off at the plot but at last the quest is over.
Reading the reports from Which? Gardening has made me realise what a difference there is between different composts, even between bags of the same brand and from year to year – i suppose that’s inevitable from something that is an ‘organic’ product. I’m glad you have found one you are happy with and I hope you continue to do so. Thanks for the added humour of your compost acquiring journeys too ;)
Thanks Cathy, it is a bit of a lottery out there when it comes to the quality of compost.
Your mulch sounds great! We’ve been having similar dilemma – have an area of garden that really needs some good organic matter added, and our compost heap and wormery is stretched as it is. Had considered mushroom compost but our soil is already very alkaline. Wondering if we can get hold of something similar…
Hope you can find a good source of compost. I know how frustrating it is. Have you tried your local council?
Glad you managed to source some, and it sounds like good stuff too. We get our manure from the local stables, it’s well rotted and piled high waiting for us to collect it. Hubby is getting a new car soon so he’s intending to make some trips beforehand.
I’d love to be able to find a source of well rotted manure. That’s my next quest. ;)
Thank you. I live in a desert and your compost posts always make me SO homesick! (but please don’t stop…)
:) :( I’ll keep you updated with my compost exploits.
Hi,
I know what you mean about how satisfying it is looking out onto lovely newly dressed borders. I use extra find mulch on mine (and compost when working, planting etc) and the vast improvement when newly dressed is amazing… I often stare at it and my neighbours must think I’m really odd.
This made me smile. We kept staring out on our newly mulched borders. Something only us gardeners understand.
That’s great value at £2 a bag. I’d go for that too given the opportunity. I’m sure your plants will reward you for your efforts.
It is great value. We’re off to pick up some more next month.
Sounds interesting. Especially as we’re your side of the M25. We get council compost delivered free to the allotment, but it can be dusty or full of rubbish. We do well composting the hens’ bedding and making leaf mould over the winter, but any good sources always appreciated.
It is such a lottery trying to find a good source of compost. I’m definitely going to make more leaf mould this winter.
Im paying £6-£7 a bag for compost and its costing a fortune as im using it for all kinds of things even in spud bags and i have many of those. Im trying not to plant to many spuds in the ground because they get attacked by keel slugs and the crop is destroyed. Im using probably 10 bags at a time I only wish I could find someone who will do it cheaper but as you say the cheaper it is the more sticks and rubbish is in it.
You do get what you pay for. I decided not to do spuds this year. I had so many problems last year and I’m trying to keep my containers to a minimum. Compost is getting more and more expensive.
It’s a pity that most councils aren’t really interested in producing and selling decent compost as many people seem to have problems finding a good supply at a reasonable price.
You seem to have done both so little wonder that you’re happy now. xx
I so agree. I wish our council would try harder. If a neighbouring county can do it I don’t know why others can’t.
Hope that the end result of your quest yields nothing but flourishing plants WW and that there are no invisible nasties lurking with intent.
Anna, I hope so.
What a great result – bargain price to get good quality compost at, I have had similar problems, though I have got a lovely pallet of bagged mushroom compost that I am about half way through. Not nearly as cheap as yours though!
I’m so chuffed. Just wish my own council produced it so it wasn’t as far to drive.
So glad that you have finally found a good source of compost I know that you have been looking for a while. We get ours from a local farmer who is glad to get rid of it, I shared a big trailer delivery full with another plot holder and its been great. My soil at the plot was severely in need of some sustenance.
Hi Annie, we’re surrounded by farms and stables so it’s frustrating to find good organic matter hard to come by. Having access to a big trailer makes such a difference.
What a good find! Your post has had me laughing out loud! You do right not to go near the stinking stuff!!! :)
Hopefully we’re off to pick up another car load of the stuff next weekend. Although with it being a Bank Holiday it’s bound to be wet ;) so it’ll maybe have to wait.