Bulk Compost

[arcane]

I'm looking for a few pickup truckloads of compost to make some new garden beds. By the bag at Home Depot is just too expensive. I'm in SE Mass. There was an online DEP listing of commercial compost operations but its dead.

What kinds of operations are reasonable potential sources: dairy farms, ag farms, vineyards, other? I have no problem driving up to a farmer's door and asking.

Anyone out there have experience with municipal leaf composting? The town I'm in collects leaves in brown bags, windrows and turns them, and 12 months later sells the compost to commercial purchasers by competitive bid. I've heard of other towns that sell by the yard to residents, currently around $15/yard picked up. The possibility of foreign objects and worse has me a little concerned about this source, even if I could buy from my town.

I don't have enough trees on my property but I plan to be ahead of the leaf collection trucks in my neighborhood this fall and start a compost operation of my own.

[smittybros]

if u cant find the compost anywhere. like your local landscape supply yard. then go to the nearest horse race track. ill bet they are mixing it at there stables. i sell alot of it and cut out the middle man by goin to the track.......give it a try

[Stonehenge]

I'm surprised you have to buy it from the municipality - it's free to residents around here. Pretty good stuff, too.

[agla]

You might want to call Sylvan Nursery in Westport and see if they know somewhere to get it. There are enough landscapers from SE Mass going in and out of there that the nursery people there are going to know or know where you should ask.
508-636-4573

[r schipul]

Free to residents Stone. Lucky you. I've been paying $28/yard from a company that runs a towns leaf drop off site. Doesn't look like a bad business. Pay handsomely to drop off. 1 year later you pay handsomely to pick up.