The people at Pennsylvania State University have not found soluble "salts" in enough quantity to be a problem for the plants growing in spent mushroom compost. Most knowledgeable people suggest working 3 to 6 inches of compost, or organic matter, into soil depending on the amount of organic matter in the soil initially. Going beyond about 6 to 8 percent OM in soil does not have much benefit and can create, drainage, problems because the excess organic matter can hold too much moisture. Here is a link that might be useful: About spent mushroom compost

Thanks for the comments guys. Lloyd, I figure I am already outgrown on this as a single unit for what we are looking to do for spring. Been quite some time since we gardened and this last year we did maybe 500 sq ft, well we caught the bug and have seeded up for next year now we are committed to getting beds ready to go. Half a dozen or so of these is what I will be looking at and at that point should be able to get a wheelbarrow or garden tractor trailer of compost each time we put out new plants. This first year coming up I dont expect too much but hope to have an abundance of prime material after that. We are working on several fronts for biomass material, comfrey, chinese sumac and japanese empress for coppicing ramial wood and green manure in the form of buckwheat and other cover crops we are establishing as pastures for the chickens. If we can generate enough mass through these to add to the garden cleanup we might have a chance at keeping up with the rate at which the sand swallows soil around here. Grubby, yep... poor kids. Think I will hold off on the name, someone probably has a patent on the design though I did not see much of anything. I have a couple of round wire bins but have not been real happy with how fast they dry out. Dont think the air through the bottom will hurt too much with the solid sides. I hear ya on clipping the screws and have a couple of those 4 1/4" angle grinders that see serious use. I wrote the above with the intent that anyone with limited tools could do the same. Bought a pack of short 5/16" self tapping screws for putting this together so i dont think I will have any trouble there. Considered using rivets but figured that would be be too much work. As far as the bottom access. Seems like those who have been there found it not so much to their liking. This is some food for thought. Not having done this yet my impression was that what spilled out the bottom would be easy to fork up either into a trailer or barrow or back into the top to circulate back through. Not as young or go getter as I once was but can still make things move pretty well when needed so if its a matter of required effort then I can handle that for the foreseeable future. Was also thinking this could be modified with an auger down the center to make it self turning and probably something I would tinker with down the road. Pretty much what I am thinking on the pile dynamic (passive/static). Not after an 18 day hot pile but dont want to wait a year either so middle of the road warm pile is where I would like to land. If it ends up stable enough so that earthworms will hang out so much the better. As with all things its all about the tryin, as much as you can read and learn the real education begins when the boots hit the ground.

Make sure some buttons aren't stuck in on the remote control.

I also have a Jambalaya recipe that I concocted several years ago at a family gathering. I think there were 20 some people there, so the recipe as I've recorded it is rather large. (with nearly 7 lbs of meat!) I prefer it done this way, with the rice prepared separately, rather than cooking the rice with the rest of the dish, since if there are leftovers the rice absorbs all of the liquid, making the rice gluey and the rest of the dish dry. Also since several members of the group didn't want it too spicy, the amount of red pepper, cayenne pepper and tobasco were much less than I would otherwise have used, but adding tobasco after it is served works very well. JAMBALAYA 2 lb Chicken Breast (3/4" cubes) 1 lb Honey Ham (1/2" dice) 1 lb Hot-Italian Sausage (de-skinned and broken into pieces) 2/3 lb Andouille-style smoked sausage 2 lb uncooked shrimp (cleaned, de-shelled, and de-tailed, cut into thirds) 2 large sweet yellow onions chopped into 3/4" square pieces 2 red bell peppers (remove stems, seeds and membranes and cut into 1" by 1" pieces) 2 yellow bell peppers 4 cups of rice 2 large cans diced tomatoes 1 15 oz can tomato paste Olive oil 10 cloves garlic 2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp black pepper blend (ground) 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 4 shakes Tobasco sauce 1 tsp thyme 1 tbsp chopped parsley In one large pan, cook onion in olive oil, add thyme and 3 cloves of garlic (chopped) until onion starts to turn translucent, then add bell peppers and cook another 10 minutes or so. In a different large pan, cook chicken and hot Italian sausage until both are lightly browned and mostly cooked. Empty both pans into large pot. Stir in tomatoes (including water from tomato cans) and the tomato paste. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer and stir well. In the chicken pan, cook Andouille and ham over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add to large pot. Crush remaining garlic and other spices except parsley into large pot to suit taste. Cook rice separately while continuing to simmer large pot. When rice is done, remove large pot from heat and add shrimp stirring until it is cooked. Serve over rice, adding tobasco to taste, top with a pinch of parsley.