Cedar Grove Compost

[big_daddy]

Hi Y'all.

I was at Home Depot the other day and bought a bag of Cedar Grove Compost. I've used their Organic Potting Soil before and it's a good soil that is easy on the wallet, and locally available. (Here in the NorthWest.)

I started this thread because the quality of this compost seems to be on par with the old Marwest that we became enamored with. I don't have a microscope, so I can't vouch for it microscopically, but the following pics lead me to believe it is a good find.

I was pulling it out of the bag to top dress a couple of plants and this compost was just loaded with fungal activity. There are white strands running all through the bag. It's dark and rich and well composted.......and 4.27 cu/ft.

I thought it might help a few folks out that are on a tight budget. I used this tray full to begin brewing a tea since its already got fungi.

HTH

b_d

 

[CC_2U]

I saw that compost outside a local grocery store this afternoon and read the label. It's made from good ingredients and the photos show it to be composted correctly.

At that price it's definitely something to consider buying and using.

CC

 

[vonforne]

Thanks for that BD. I will be on a budget upon returning. I hope they carry it further North.

V

 

[GoneRooty]

Cedar Grove takes all of the Seattle area's food wastes, etc for their composting facility. I've used it before and really liked it, but then got a few bags with some nasty bugs and lots of uncomposted stuff. I'm sure the bugs came from the store, but the uncomposted stuff, orange peels, cardboard, etc, was kind of a turn off. It was a few years ago, so maybe they got everything taken care of since then. But yes Cedar Grove is great and very cheap, and local for those of us in the NW.

 

[CC_2U]

GR

Thanks for the info - I'm going to pick-up a few bags for the worm bins. Looks like good bulk food for the worms.

I started using composted horse manure, composted chicken manure and a thermal compost product. The worms definitely move through these products quickly without the water issues with kitchen scraps.

After all they are called 'manure worms' - LOL

CC

 

[vonforne]

I looked at them and they are strictly out west.....to far for me. But I did find a EWC supplier minutes from where I will be setting up. Cool. And a large compost supplier much similar to this one about 45 minutes away.

And my town has a local state college for the rest......good start and I am not there yet.

So CC, you are feeding your worms just manure now? My dad has horses still.....I guess I should stock up on my way to get the EWC and worms.

Good to know.

V

 

[CC_2U]

Von

Last week I went on a 'fact finding tour' of worm breeders as well as those running worm operations for the castings. Quite a different set-up and process as I learned.

I looked at one gentleman's worm bin that he bought to be able to use the African Nightcrawlers - here's a photo of the bin...........

Temperature controlled as well as monitoring the air/aeration in the bin. I was more than a little impressed - especially when he told me that he paid $7,500.00 for the unit (includes delivery). "You mean you spent that much money just to raise a type of worm? Man, I need to introduce my wife to your wife!"

Then it was on to worm breeders and their set-ups which was generally 4' x 8' x 8" fiberglass trays where the food items are placed in the bins and allowed to decompose for several days and turned and inoculated with worms or cocoons. Once the material has been digested the worms are harvested to fill orders.

The one constant in the 5 worm operations I visited was the use of manure - even bagged steer manure from nurseries. Same with the composted chicken and horse manures.

As was pointed out to me that while produce (or kitchen scraps) are definitely something you want to feed your worms it is difficult to produce large volumes of castings. Even nutrient dense vegetables like beets are 84% water and by the time you get to the lettuces you're up over 98% water.

It was an interesting look at how others are doing things.

CC

 

[vonforne]

Hell ya. I used to use steer and chicken manures back in the day. Mostly composted steer manure it was more available to me where I lived. I used to use a composted peat product also with good results.....all in my soil mixes but never in my worm bins.

Would the NPK ratio be too high for seedlings or do the worms knock that down? I would assume they would but what is your opinion on that?

V

 

[vonforne]

Oh and that unit.......I now have no wife to ask..........might pick one of those up. Cool find.

V

 

[CC_2U]

Von

Chicken manure once composted will not burn your plants. Many of the products out there (Stutzman's, E.B. Stone, et al.) are certified 'USDA Organic' and it's very popular with organic and conventional gardeners, farmers, etc. The Stutzman's product is locally produced and is available in 1 c.y. for 'chicken sh*t' money. Literally.

And I hit a good hit of luck on Saturday. The main organic farm store has grown by leaps and bounds and they hired a couple of new people to work the order desk. At any rate the new guy offered by a yard of rabbit manure if I would pay him back with come castings - pretty fair deal.

On Craigslist you can find just about any type of manure you could want goat, horse, cow, chicken and poultry in general, spent mushroom logs, etc. Usually for free - you pick-up and haul.

Toss in some glacial rock dust and you're gold.

CC

 

[vonforne]

CC, I came out of the Midwest.......we raised and showed Quarter Horses for the first part of my life and for over 40 years my Dad has had that farm.....nothing but Horse manure there in piles 10 feet high....all slow composted. LOL I could use that stuff for the rest of my life and it would not even dent those piles.

And some good friends are large scale dairy farmers. No problem there either.

I was born a poor white farm boy. LOL


FWIW, I had composted chicken manure burn the shit out of 70 or so cuts once. I put 3 cups or so per 3 gallon container. I came home and my whole house smelled like an ammonia bomb went off. All dead in 7 days.

V
V

 

[GoneRooty]

One thing I learned from the guy I get my amendments from, is to put some soil in your worm bin. I know a lot of people say you shouldn't do this, but this guy has some of the BEST castings I've ever seen. Super fine, powdery and dry. His castings are like a big bag of graphite powder.

 

[vonforne]

I always put old soil in mine. I do it to speed things up as far a volume goes. If you look at some of my pictures you will see the clay pellets in there.

V

 

[mad librettist]

this is one reason I do bokashi before worms. I can remove lots of moisture, and whats left is very dense.

 

[vonforne]

this is one reason I do bokashi before worms. I can remove lots of moisture, and whats left is very dense.

very dense.....like your skull? LOL

Sorry, I had a couple beers with that pizza........and no herpes. lol

V

 

[mad librettist]

I need to go shopping. There is a soup packet very common around here that reads:

cock flavored soup mix.

I have come close to giving them as gag gifts, but I always "chicken" out.

 

[CC_2U]

One thing I learned from the guy I get my amendments from, is to put some soil in your worm bin. I know a lot of people say you shouldn't do this, but this guy has some of the BEST castings I've ever seen. Super fine, powdery and dry. His castings are like a big bag of graphite powder.

GR

The newest bin I set-up is 2' x 8' (flow through) and in the layers of composts I added a couple of shovels of top soil every 2" or so.

Hit it with an AACT and let it sit for a few days and then I introduced 1 lb. of European Nightcrawlers and 3,000 red wigglers' cocoons. When fully charged there will be 16 - 18 lbs. of woms working the bin.

I've got another one this size being built and will set it up with the same worm profile.

Each bin will produce about 1 c.f. per week of the kind of castings you're describing. Almost like powder.

CC

 

[vonforne]

CC could you put up a picture or two of that set up?

V

 

[GoneRooty]

GR

The newest bin I set-up is 2' x 8' (flow through) and in the layers of composts I added a couple of shovels of top soil every 2" or so.

Hit it with an AACT and let it sit for a few days and then I introduced 1 lb. of European Nightcrawlers and 3,000 red wigglers' cocoons. When fully charged there will be 16 - 18 lbs. of woms working the bin.

I've got another one this size being built and will set it up with the same worm profile.

Each bin will produce about 1 c.f. per week of the kind of castings you're describing. Almost like powder.

CC

Damn, I wish I had more room. Gotta get out of this apartment so I can do bins like that. And yes as V said, please put up pictures if possible, would love to see it.

 

[CT Guy]

Hi Y'all.

I was at Home Depot the other day and bought a bag of Cedar Grove Compost. I've used their Organic Potting Soil before and it's a good soil that is easy on the wallet, and locally available. (Here in the NorthWest.)

I started this thread because the quality of this compost seems to be on par with the old Marwest that we became enamored with. I don't have a microscope, so I can't vouch for it microscopically, but the following pics lead me to believe it is a good find.

I was pulling it out of the bag to top dress a couple of plants and this compost was just loaded with fungal activity. There are white strands running all through the bag. It's dark and rich and well composted.......and 4.27 cu/ft.

I thought it might help a few folks out that are on a tight budget. I used this tray full to begin brewing a tea since its already got fungi.

HTH

b_d

I've looked at it under the microscope and it's highly bacterial. They're not letting it finish because they're trying to compost so much food waste and material from local municipal food collections. I wouldn't use it for my plants, I think there's better stuff here in the NW. I certainly wouldn't say it's as good as the Marwest from what I've seen.

Can you grow in it? Yeah...it's probably better than any of the Miracle Grow mixes or something that's been sitting on the shelves for a long time, but I can think of a few better products you can find locally.