Where in the midwest US do you buy your compost?

[Metta_Messages]

As I go further down the rabbit hole I am understanding more about the importance of true vermicompost and the role it plays in living soil. I am looking for biologically active castings/vermicompost with worms and eggs if possible (microbes are already a given). I only specify midwest because freshness and maximum biological activity are directly related. Any worm farms with good pricing on castings that are preferred by the community?

 

[Richard Drysift]

I am up here in the northeast US coast of Connecticut but I couldn’t find a decent source of vermicompost either. Ended up paying way too much for sub-par bagged unco wiggle worm castings from a local grow shop. eBay has many options for compost as well but then you still gotta pay shipping. Worm doo doo is heavy…
Best thing you can do is get something like a worm factory 360 or equivalent worm farm. You could just DIY one but the nesting waffle grid tray design of the WF360 makes harvesting castings real easy. I feed my plants mostly kitchen scraps that would been just trash anyway. Plus the super fresh castings derived from rotting veggie, coffee grounds. and/or fruit scraps etc. etc. are much more active w/microbes than any castings that come from from a bag.
I like to add crushed eggshells which have been nuked in the microwave for a min or so to kill off any pathogens. Provides a great source of calcium and other macros once broken down. When I cook or make a salad or whatever I scrape any organic scraps into a plastic bag and toss in the freezer. Freezing helps break down the cell walls of plant matter so once thawed and added to the worm bin it turns black gold w/the quickness. Toilet/paper towel rolls and recycled egg cartons are great sources of browns along with dry canna leaves. You want a balanced ratio of “greens” to “browns” along with some grit. A sprinkle of crushed oyster shell or greensand in the bin provides grit; helps the worms digest whatever else you give them. Having a worm bin is the baller-est move a grower can make imo.

 

[Metta_Messages]

So I actually have a worm farm approximately 50 miles away from me and I was considering driving up there in a week or two. I actually spoke to one of the co-owners on the phone and he was happy to tell me all about his castings and he welcomed me to his farm to have a look. I have also been looking into starting my own worm bin and I can get it up and running relatively soon although it is not necessarily priority one at this moment. I have literally everything else for my coots soil mix except my vermicompost, so getting an immediate supply is first and then a bin can be more long term but still on my mind.

I know I am lucky to have the worm farm near and the fact that this kind gentleman literally stopped his truck on the side of the road to talk to me for 25 minutes about worms and their waste. I only ask about other sources because I am not certain of the pricing of true vermicompost and I am quite certain expediant shipping of fresh compost could be possible and practical.

Can you share your thoughts on mushroom compost? I also have a wholesale organics supply near me and I spoke with their representative and this material is essential horse manure and some green matter however it did very recently have mushroom colonies growing on it, so the mycelium is present. Is this important enought to warrant it's inclusion in my final soil mix? Would a 50/50 mix of the above vermicompost and mushroom be fine? Or full blown vermicompost?

I am happy to share the info of the worm farm if anyone is interested. For what it's worth even though I am new I was impressed by the man's professionalism and knowledge of his product. Free shipping

 

[Richard Drysift]

Mushroom compost is an excellent input. I grow mushrooms too (mostly magical ones) and have been dumping the spent substrate into my recycled soil bins and raised beds for years. 50/50 substrate/ewc is fine but don’t worry too much about ratios. You can have up to 1/3 of your total mix as ewc.
50 miles doesn’t seem close enough to me to be convenient but sounds like you have a good source of worms/castings if you don’t mind the drive. Every thing is so sprawled out out there; used to live in Kansas a long time ago. Fort Riley to KC seemed like a short jaunt.

 

[Metta_Messages]

Mushroom compost is an excellent input. I grow mushrooms too (mostly magical ones) and have been dumping the spent substrate into my recycled soil bins and raised beds for years. 50/50 substrate/ewc is fine but don’t worry too much about ratios. You can have up to 1/3 of your total mix as ewc.
50 miles doesn’t seem close enough to me to be convenient but sounds like you have a good source of worms/castings if you don’t mind the drive. Every thing is so sprawled out out there; used to live in Kansas a long time ago. Fort Riley to KC seemed like a short jaunt.

So in my case would you be concerned at all regarding the diet of the horses throughout their lifecycle in the manure in my mushroom compost? Also I was only going to consider driving once to see the place and maybe get a free bin set up if I bought the worms on site. In the above example the vermicompost ships free $50/20lbs, so no constant driving, would you consider this worthwhile? I would need about 80lbs at this time to cover the needs of my soil mix and I am willing to pay for it if necessary. However the mushroom compost is significantly cheaper. Please be mindful that I am planning to reuse this soil and add the appropriate amount of worms per container size as well.
I definately am concerned about the ratios because youre correct that 33% of my final soil is compost. If mushroom compost is not all that good compared to true vermicompost or can even be hit or miss(I was genuinely asking), then it is not worth it for me. Fire in fire out all the way

Do you consider the castings from BAS to be good quality?

 

[Marq1340]

So I actually have a worm farm approximately 50 miles away from me and I was considering driving up there in a week or two.

Ask yourself if it's really worth it. Okay, was the answer no? Then just go out and buy a bag of coast of Maine lobster blend or something. Yes? Then take the ride 2 hour commute for the better stuff.

 

[Metta_Messages]

Ask yourself if it's really worth it. Okay, was the answer no? Then just go out and buy a bag of coast of Maine lobster blend or something. Yes? Then take the ride 2 hour commute for the better stuff.

If you're asking if quality amendments and nutrients make a difference to the plant then the answer is yes of course. As stewards of our plants and their health, what is good for them is good for us as well! The whole point of my journey into living soil was so I no longer had to "just go out and buy a bag" of anything. I wasn't necessarily meaning to ask if the nutrients were worth it per se, but more if anyone else has similarly good sources or could share a different price point that I was unaware of. Sorry if I was unclear about that before

 

[Richard Drysift]

So in my case would you be concerned at all regarding the diet of the horses throughout their lifecycle in the manure in my mushroom compost? Also I was only going to consider driving once to see the place and maybe get a free bin set up if I bought the worms on site. In the above example the vermicompost ships free $50/20lbs, so no constant driving, would you consider this worthwhile? I would need about 80lbs at this time to cover the needs of my soil mix and I am willing to pay for it if necessary. However the mushroom compost is significantly cheaper. Please be mindful that I am planning to reuse this soil and add the appropriate amount of worms per container size as well.
I definately am concerned about the ratios because youre correct that 33% of my final soil is compost. If mushroom compost is not all that good compared to true vermicompost or can even be hit or miss(I was genuinely asking), then it is not worth it for me. Fire in fire out all the way

Do you consider the castings from BAS to be good quality?

No way to know for sure what is in the mushroom compost but if it is horse poo based then I would not be too concerned because:
A. People typically feed horses a high grade diet; nobody wants to have to pay for a vet to look at a sick horse
B. Horse poo substrate is typically about a 50/50 mix of composted horse manure and straw with some gypsum added in. All things good…
C. Mushroom compost is already fully composted…nothing in it that can hurt anything else
$50 is a steep investment in vermicompost but seems fairly priced if it is somewhat fresh and highly active. Honestly nothing beats your own homemade ewc fresh from the worms ass. BAS worm castings? Ok but again you are probably paying too much. You can get started with something like a 50/50 mix of ewc and spent mushroom substrate. Don’t sweat it if your calculated ratios do not match the soil recipe. Organic inputs do not have to be that exacting. You can find bagged ewc anywhere but consider starting a worm bin to make your own. Use a bagged compost (like say coast of Maine like some body else said) to get started if you need to. Just be sure to add ewc as well.
When people say they have a ph lockout in soil it means the soil has become inactive. Dead microbes cannot consume organic matter thereby causing the fungi to starve which can no longer absorb nutrients broken down by the aforementioned dead microbes.