Mushroom Compost Feedback

 I've now taken my delivery of this stuff and are offering my comments
for Tish and others who were wondering.

This old guy from Narellan, NSW sells, in lot 10 for $40 delivered.
Phone number is 4648 3030. Advertises in Campbeltown to Southern
Highlands newspapers. I gather you could order larger lots if you wanted.

These are the ~25 litre(?) bags that they grow the mushrooms in. I was
told they weigh about 25kgs.

Basically you get a pile of rotted, wet straw full of the mushroom fungi
threads, topped with about 4cm of decomposing, "dynamic lifter"
(processed chicken poo).

It is unlikely that you could continue to grow on the mushrooms. Most of
the bags were full of the fungi threads and what mushrooms that were on
top were dry as well as being well chomped by slugs (bonus gift).


If the price suits, then get it. It is delivered. You just have to be
able to handle the plastic bags. Perhaps a cheap two wheel  trolley from
autoshops will help you there. Just get one with a good foot square
bed/tray.

I have the alternative of going out to a chicken farm on Camden Valley
Way, just north of the new Harrington Park to Smeaton grange cross
roads. they sell 20L bag of well decomposed chicken ($2.20) and mushroom
and cow ($3.30) each. The major problem there is supplies are patchy.


In future, I'll probably just buy a couple of bags of straw (about $14
each) and a bag of dynamic lifter ($?). That will make the mulching
part easier and I will not have lost any of the nutrients of the dynamic
lifter.


Now, if someone knows where I can go and collect my own mushroom compost
industrial waste, then I'll certainly take it.

 
[snipped]


Thanks Terry. Looks like I'd be best keeping going with the bunny poo
and dynamic lifter (or cheaper generic alternative) combination.
Cheers,
Tish

 g'day terry,

do i detect some dissapointment in the message??

we don't buy it so we can grow mushrooms, any fungii that is in the
stuff becomes part of the sytem of break down and doesn't affect the
plants, we grow directly into it and add more as that settles and the
whole lot turns into a better and better medium, only feeding it using
mulch hay mulches.

now about $4 a bag delivered is a bit pricey up here that happens for
$3 per bag.

check you phone book or do a google for mushroom farms in your general
area, even if you had to hire an 8' x 5' box trailer (carries app 80
bags), you would still be in front even if the farm charged a $1 per
bag, up here our farmer (app 40 min round trip away) charges .50c per
bag.

so the bet is the guy who onsells and delivers is making a killing at
$4 per bag.

get a co-op of gardeners together and maybe even hire a 1 tonner truck
and share the costs, or you could sell some of the load off the cover
some of the cost and maybe get your compost all but free.

we do at times get a feed of mushrooms off our bags or some grow in
the garden but then we buy fresh from the sheds at the farm.



On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 12:05:34 +1000, Terryc

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

 len garden wrote:

Anyone in Adelaide know where to get mushroom compost by the bag?
I used to go to a place in Waterloo Corner several years ago, but I
don't think they exist now. It was great for the veges on our stony clay
soil, and we're looking at getting into veges again ...

Thanks,

 David wrote:

Replying to Len's message here as I do not see the orig on my server.

Nope. Just my 2c. It was worth giving a try.
It is all about adding organic matter to build up the soil.



I just felt it was cheaper to buy the components at that price.


I'd be happy to do that actually, but I'd do a 1 tonne van load. That
would be about 40 bags, which should last a while.

The bottom line is that it is industrial waste. You are really paying
the farmer for the inconvenience and increased insurance cost.


Well, vehicle running costs do have to be considered. He is prepared to
deliver over a large area.


I've just come in from winching the loaded trailer to the hitching post.
Over the next week or so, I have 6'x4'x4' of bunny poo/bedding to
spread. We seem to get that every month now.

To handle the amount, since everything (almost) is mulched, we are going
to compost in the vege garden pathways. Just dig it out every quarter.

Worth the effort. Carrots and snow peas. As my brother said whilst house
sitting "the problem with your snow peas is that none ever make it
inside, they just get eaten".