Topic: mushroom compost... good or not good?

[tabbycat]

have asked this question in the "large quantities of topsoil/compost" thread but am putting it out there on its own now so i get the benefit of everyone's experience.

does anyone use mushroom compost? if so, is it any good?

going by the seller's hype it's seemimgly every gardener's dream compost.

is £80 for 1 & 1/2 tonnes expensive?

have a new ten rod plot (very sandy soil) and no compost at all so need to think big!

cheers, tabbycat

[lottief]

I use mushroom compost - mostly because well-rotted manure is very expensive near us and I do not have the spare space to  compost loads of fresh stuff myself but also as I managed to find some quite cheap. I use it to bulk the soil up and add extra organic material to our heavy clay. Not too sure if it is the best solution as I am fairly new to all this lark -  but it did alright last year (I'm sure some of the more experienced posters will be able to help more)!

Re: cost - have you tried calling your local mushroom farms direct? We have one in Oxfordshire that lets you go and collect your own at 50p a bag.

I hope this helps, lotttief

[simon404]

Only problem with mushroom compost is it can have a lot of lime in it, so ok for brassicas and maybe beans, but not root crops or potatoes. On our site we get farmyard manure for 30 pounds a tractor trailer load but it sounds like we might be lucky. Have you tried farms or stables? Or asking fellow plotholders or your association secretary where people get manure from?  :)

[tabbycat]

we have a farmer that delivers manure (not sure how much it costs) but its sometimes not that well rotted down. it depends how high the demand is.
there are 14 new plots on our site so we are all looking for the same thing!

i thought that i'd get a load delivered & if it's too new i can just leave it to rot down. the mushroom compost may be a "ready to use" solution.

might try some local stables for a couple of bags of well-rotted stuff to put in my potato trench - trouble is i live in Woking, Surrey and everything is SO expensive... even manure!

am going to phone my local council to see if they make their own compost as well.

cheers, tabbycat

[tim]

Love it - but it costs us £20 for 730l  + delivery.

[lottief]

Thanks for the info about the lime Simon,
Lottief

[tabbycat]

Re: cost - have you tried calling your local mushroom farms direct? We have one in Oxfordshire that lets you go and collect your own at 50p a bag.

we used to have a mushroom farm about a mile or two from us but it's closed and the council wants to turn it into some sort of new-fangled waste managment centre.

also thanks to simon for the lime info - am not very good at remembering the "chemistry" that's involved with soil!

tabbycat

[thomasb]

Hi tabbycat,
In a different thread...cannot remember which.... it was mentioned that mushroom compost can contain lime and is therefore not suitable for some plants.

PS. Question for Lottife...where is Oxfordshire do you get the mushroom compost for 50p a bag?

Thomas

[tim]

Interesting - 'can contain lime'. I assumed that it always did? But the beeb says the same.

[supersprout]

Caution on bought peanut brittle:
May contain traces of nuts
Similar caution?

[tabbycat]

thanks Supersprout...

still haven't made my mind on mushroom compost but you've definitely made me laugh! ;D

Tabbycat

[lottief]

PS. Question for Lottife...where is Oxfordshire do you get the mushroom compost for 50p a bag?

Thomas

Hi Thomas,
It's a place called Aylesbury Mushrooms in Black Bourton (01993 842513).
Lottief

[tim]

Tabby - unless it's for ericacious plants, you can't lose!

[tabbycat]

Tabby - unless it's for ericacious plants, you can't lose!

that's true - my mother helped run a small nursery for 15 years and when i phoned her last night she raved about the stuff. am just worried that as my soil is so light that anyway, that i ought to be digging "heftier" stuff into it to really hold the moisture.

[tim]

But it's based on manure, isn't it?

[tabbycat]

yes, but all the books i've got say it's fantastic for lightening heavy clay soils.

this is the problem with being trained to research everything. it becomes compulsive - i look loads of stuff up, get lots of differing opinions & end up seeing both sides of the issue! :-\

think i will just throw caution to the winds & order some!

tabbycat

[Justy]

I bought 20 x 70litre bags when I first took on the lottie and I must say it was absolutely fab for my clay soil - in fact in the beds that I built that first year you would not think the soil had ever been clay! It seemed like it was basically straw and pooh but it had the added bonus of the odd mushroom keep popping up in the bags!  I paid £20 for my bags so I would say that £80 for ton and a half is pretty good.  I only wish I could find the number again because I would order some more in a shot.

[tabbycat]

ok - you're convincing me now  :)