[Community_garden] compost question

[yarrow at sfo.com]

I wouldn't.

Can you call around to garden centers, landscape yards, and other 
places in your area to get a different source of donated compost? 
Sometimes garden centers will give away broken bags. Or advertise on 
freecycle -- sometimes individuals buy a truckload and then would 
rather have the driveway space than use it up until it's gone. 
Someone regularly leaves containers of the liquid drained from worm 
bins at my community garden -- I'm guessing they compost to get rid 
of kitchen waste but don't have a garden?

Free coffee grounds aren't the same thing as compost, but they're 
available in large quantities from coffee shops and work great as a 
soil amendment, as long as they're not put on the soil in a thick 
layer to form a water-repellent crust.

The many forms of compost teas are a way to get some of the benefits 
of compost. Green teas get slimy and ferment fast! I wouldn't use any 
weeds that had gone to seed or any diseased plant material. I make 
comfrey tea for the garden a few times a year, and sometimes borage 
tea.


At 10:00 AM -0700 3/13/08, Eliza Sutton wrote:
>I'd love some feedback on this.  Normally, we get 150 yards of free 
>compost made by a  nearby compost facility for our 10 community 
>gardens.  Apparently, their generosity has ended, and we are left to 
>our own devices.  I found a nearby compost facility who makes 
>compost from yard waste and sludge, Class A Biosolids.  We can get 
>this for free.  Is this safe to use for the community?  The data i'm 
>finding is mixed.
>
>
>thanks,
>
>Liza Sutton
>Community Gardens Coordinator
>Southside Community Land Trust
>Providence, RI  02907
>401-273-9419 ext. 25