James, I would not do this, because growing is so marginal economically that you will probably lose money without the benefits of compost – less weeds, less time spent weeding, less pest and disease, higher yields.
If you can’t afford compost now, I don’t see how you can finance a start-up either. For me it is the most important investment. At this stage you could use cheaper but well rotted animal manure, unless there is none available locally.