A question from Bath, 25 April 2011:
I came on your day course on the 6th april and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much. We have since built a double compost bin and I’ve ordered some seeds. I’m in a dilemma over compost! We need to put 2inches of compost on our soil but I feel so unsure of where to get it. I’ve discovered Hinton Organics in Keynsham where the green waste goes. Obviously the green waste isn’t organic so will the composting process break down any ‘nasties’. Also, we could source compost from Monahan mushrooms. They aren’t organic so would that be suitable? We’d like to get some compost down this week of possible and would value your advice. (We live in Bath btw)
Charles’ reply:
It sounds like some good gardening going on. I recommend mushroom compost since you can source it, because, by comparison, green waste compost has more wood and risks using its nutrients to finish breaking down the woody bits, which can cause slower growth while that is happening, and we are now at a season when you want rapid growth.
Regarding nasty residues, one can never be sure but the PAS 100 certificate for green waste composting, which I imagine Hinton Organics (and most other composting operations) adhere to, is a reasonable guarantee of clean compost.
Mushroom growers use less pesticides and more biological controls than previously. Although the mushroom compost may be slightly strawy, depending how long it has been stacked after growing mushrooms, I would give it a go. (see also the forum post ‘compost’ by Sarah Bell)