Compost? (lawn, manure, vegetable, backyard)

[fierce_flawless]

This may be a really dumb question but I don't know where to get Compost?

I don't have a compost pile in my yard and I don't know anyone who does. I have looked at the garden centers in big stores (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes) as well as a couple small nurseries. The only thing I saw with the word compost in it was cow manure. Do I need to just keep looking?

Do I want cow manure??? I am not understanding, because when my mom had a compost pile it was only vegetable material, not animal poo. Then again she also suggested to me that I use sheep manure (which I haven't seen anywhere) for putting down all over my yard where I'm hoping to plant things to prepare it and break it down like compost.

If it's animal waste I'm looking for, won't it stink to high heaven? I "moved" the dogs "business activites" to the backyard for that same reason. LOL. I had declared the front a poop free zone!

[Briolat21]

Bagged manure that is for sale does not smell because it has been left to age long enough that the breakdown of the waste material is complete and you're basically left with rich organic material. Is is raw waste that smells so much, due to some of the chemical compounds in it. Once raw waste is "processed" (by bacteria) - those compounds are digested and you are left with a powdery dry rich dark organic material.

Cow manure is a common fertilizer, as is chicken, bat (guano), or I suppose any other animals .. around here they offer to let you come and take the aged manure from the horse stables...

If you are doing yard composting (vegetable scraps, yard clippings, etc..) it is recommended that you not mix any animal waste into it because of dangers disease-bacteria that can exist in raw fecal matter.

I.E. - most homeowners do not have a "poop pile" in the back of their property where the poop can break down for 5 or 6 years. We couldn't live with the smell and the flies!!

If you go to an industrial cattle farm - it already smells!!! They have no problem with tractoring the manure out to the pile and letting it compost. They turn it every few months, and after a while its just crumbly good organic material.


Good luck!

[Ohiogirl81]

I prefer composted horse manure, which you can get at garden stores. Do not buy the cheapo manure (avoid Wal-mart!); it's filled with weed seeds and all kinds of nasty stuff.

[Threerun]

Some municipalities or counties that have debris pick ups also have free or cheap mulch and compost for sale. Bagged leaves and other ruffage refuse make the compost, limbs and woody structures for the mulch.

Check your yellow pages for info on your town..

[SnappyBob]

In the San Antonio area the best place to get compost in bulk or bag yourself is (my order of preference) Garden-ville, Keller's Materials or Fertile Gardens. The manure based composts are the best and no they won't smell. I put Garden-ville manure compost on my lawn about every three years and apply corn gluten meal in the late fall annually and my lawn usually looks pretty good. It's just now starting to show the effects of the drought.