i recently moved to a new home and have to start the lawn from scratch, i have about 75000 sq ft to deal with. i found a company out of burlington county new jersey that sells compost.
its sludge and wood chips mixed chopped and cooked to the point of sterility. they say its safe to use in food production also. would be interested in others thoughts. thanks
organic joe
www.allgrow.com is the site of the company

Stay away from sewage sludge...per that venerable former publication Organic Gardening.

yes i recall the issue, and will dig it up once i find where it went during the move... i believe they were discussing the use of milorganite and home composting of sludge like materials. The compost the Allgro.com people are selling are certified, pathogen and weed free. i guess i was looking for more of a definitive reply, than "cause OG said so". The questions in my mind are, Has anyone had experience with this stuff, Will it affect my water supply and how about human contact with it. I suppose im lookin for a good rationalization to be able to use this stuff. Better yet, anyone point me in the direction of top quality compost mfg in the south jersey area?

Hi Joe:

I guess the answer is the source. People flush and dump everything down their drains. Old paint, insecticides, all kinds of cleaning toxins, non-organically grown foods, etc. Processing plants may use filters, but they also use chemicals to process that sludge. No pathogens is fine, but what about heavy metals? Sludge is like a singles bar, fooling around there is fooling around with everyone's vile habits.

Slow and steady wins the race here, 75,000 sq ft is a lot, I'll grant you, but if you do your own compost heaps and leaf mold, within five years, you will have a totally renewable source of your own compost. Shredded newspaper can be a good additive to enlarge your compost pile until you have enough of your own stuff.

Happy Gardening,
Donna R

I agree with Donna. You'll be popular with your suburban neighbors if you're willing to vacuum up all of their fall leaves for the next few years. I distrust MOST commercially-produced compost & am extremely picky when I run short & feel I must purchase it instead of making my own. I forage EVERYWHERE for leaves & manures to supplement my compost heaps. Organic gardening is an exercise in patience; it takes years to get most soil in shape & to get your backyard eco-system in balance. The journey is half the fun. I hope you have the luxury of this kind of time; you'll be happier with the end results.