Any of you out there use shellfish compost or mushroom compost? (i've read through earlier threads on this board that mention mushroom compost, but haven't seen anything on shellfish).

I've heard that mushroom compost is fantastic - plop down a 3-inch layer and till it in, or just top dress it, and you'll start seeing results w/in the first season. also, similar things about shellfish compost - plus it's high in calcium and contains chitin (?sp).

If you use either one of these in your gardening, how do you like them and would you recommend them to others? also, do you have any suggestions where someone could get any on the west coast?

thanks for the help!!! lost in az...

I have a free source of mushroom compost from a mushroom growing business. But they will only load it into the back of a pickup truck with a skip loader. They don't allow people to bring in bags or buckets.

But big semi trucks from the local gardening stores pull up and get huge loads for free, then they take it back and bag it.

It's magical in its ability to improve soil and keep fungal diseases down.

It's beautifully composted manure, alfalfa or straw, and gypsum. There are variations on this, but when it's wonderfully broken down, then they grow the mushrooms in it, and that seems to add another good component to it. By then it's really broken down, at least 6 months or longer, and it is the very best stuff I've ever used as potting soil; half native soil, and half mushroom compost. As you've probably read in here before, I can't say enough good stuff about it.

I haven't ever used shellfish compost, but do they mean it's been sitting around for a few months and has really composted, or is it just the cast-offs that have been piled aside for a short time? Is there anything added to it, and what are those things?

Compost is only available to your plants when it's spent, and there's no recognizable pieces in it. So it would either have to sit in your soil for a long time, or in your own compost pile for a few months, being turned regularly with all the other composting materials.

I think others here have had problems with the fish attracting animals at night that dig it up, and dig up the garden, dogs, raccoons, etc. The same problems that fish emulsion creates. But if you could really bury it, maybe they wouldn't find it...but there's no guarantee.

If it's a free source, it's surely worth figuring out how to keep the animals away.

hi sweetpea - i hoped you'd post something on this, since i'd seen your earlier posts on mushroom compost. sounds like no good news for me on west coast mushroom compost suppliers (interstate, that is). ?:|

i've been looking at marine composts, and i guess i do need to specifically ask the vendors whether the shellfish is composted, rather than just assume it is because they say it is. i have found three suppliers (foxfarm, seagro, and winterwood farm)of marine composts, and i want to try them, but i was hoping one of you all had experimented with them. i'll probably do another home test.

i don't know if you've ever looked around out on the web at composts, but you wouldn't believe the different types you can find.

I can just guess what composts there are! And they don't necessarily have organic ingredients. And since "compost" is such a generic term there's no limit to what it could be. A lot of them at the nurseries seem to have wood chips or wood scraps in them, and those require nitrogen to break down, and they aren't near done being composted, and aren't readily available to little plants who need some real action this time of year.

If you have access to cow or horse or chicken manure, (the bags at Home Depot are $1.00) you can do it yourself really easily, a bale of straw is about $6 and lasts for ages, gypsum is cheap, and add whatever is around your house, dead leaves, grass, kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps. Make your own compost pile, and if you can turn it once a day it will really turn into beautiful stuff in a month. If you want to spring for a couple extra bucks get a bale of alfalfa, it has some nitrogen, but it's heavier to lug around.

The only thing you might not want is if the cows that produce the manure are not organically fed, then their manure won't be organic either, so if that bothers you, then those bags at the store are out.

If you get some shellfish compost let us know how it goes.