Some of the many folks over on the Soil & Compost forum here may be familiar with those specific brand names. You might ask over there.

And if growing organic is your goal you might also want to ask on the Organic Gardening forum here. These forums are linked at the top of this forum's front page.

I can't find anything about any of those brand names but there are many other known brand names of packaged compost available and most any of them, assuming they aren't sludge based compost, will work. Your state's local organic certification agency can advise you on which local products, if any, are approved for use and/or recommended.

Good luck.

Dave

Congrats on getting your first garden going! :) You're in for a lot of fun.

The main benefit of compost is adding organic matter to your soil so it'll hold more moisture and be more friable (loose and easily worked), so depending on what the topsoil you used was like and what Biocomp is, you may not need to add more regular compost. I'd just about never advise someone not to add more compost as you can almost never get enough of it, but you may not need it. Is your soil already loose and easily worked? When you grab a handful of it when it's damp and squeeze it, does it form a nice ball that holds it's shape fairly well, but falls apart pretty easily when you poke it? Is it well-draining while still holding a good amount of moisture? If so, you shouldn't need any more regular compost.

However, I have soil like that and still add composted manure since it's a great "slow-release" fertilizer. I use it as mulch once my plants are tall enough ~ an inch or two thick. From that point, I don't add anything else fertilizer-wise until the plants tell me they need it. Too much nitrogen will affect some veggies negatively ~ they'll put on a bunch of leaves and not much fruit ~ so I don't just add a bunch of stuff for the sake of adding it. For me and my soil, composted manure is usually enough for a really good harvest.

I've found this out by experimentation over the years, so I'd advise you to do the same. Try different things and keep notes (I take pictures, too ~ that really helps when looking back). You may find that something works for you where it doesn't really for me, or vice versa. Everyone's soil is different.

Hi t-dog,

First, welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! You will love it. Now, the not-so-good part: I would be concerned about Biocomp. It is a made from biosolids (ie. human waste from the treatment plant). Biosolids can be an issue because of heavy metal, salt and pathogen content. I believe Biocomp is mainly recommended for use under sod for lawns, not vegetable gardens. I would double-check with the person you purchased it from and make sure it was Grade 1 (should be). Grade 1 is technically legal for gardens, but Colorado State University says not to use them with root crops. That means no potatoes, carrots, beets, etc. Personally, I would be very uncomfortable using biosolids in the garden.

B.O.S.S. looks a lot better (http://bosscompost.com/) and does not contain any industrial waste or human biowaste.

I would suggest calling you local extension agent and explaining that you used a biosolid compost in a home garden. They may have more information about how much of an issue this is in your local area and what to do to correct the problem (if needed). I've included a link at the bottom of this post to the extension agents in your area. Call the number for your county. They may also know of a local source for free leaf-litter compost.

Don't let this panic you or discourage you from gardening!! If it really is a problem, it is fixable. Also, I'm from the very organic-no chemical fertilizer end of the spectrum, so what I'm comfortable using may be different from someone who gardens in a more conventional way. Hopefully other people here will way in on the use of biosolids.

Good luck and I hope everything works out well for you,
Bellatrix

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado State Extension Service

Here is a little info on it. Thanks everyone for the rapid replies, I was a convinced at first it was good stuff but now I am a little woried.

BioComp
BioComp®, a Class I quality compost, is a stabilized organic material
that can be used with all plant types and in any type of soil (sandy to
clay). This compost (screened 3/8 inch minus) greatly enhances overall
soil structure and improves movement of air and water within the soil
 essential to healthy plant growth.
When salts are a critical design factor, BioComp® is the compost of
choice. Low salts also mean that you can safely double the amount of
compost used and still have vigorous plant growth. Salt in BioComp® are
primarily from nutrient salts and not sodium chloride, as indicated by an
ag index greater than 10.
BioComp® is listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as an
amendment approved for use on Organically Certified Crops.
Independent testing by Colorado State University confirm that BioComp®
safely provides higher levels of nutrients.
Application Rates:
As a Top Dressing Â
BioComp® can be used as a top dressing, however
the large particles limit its use to where grass is
mowed high.
 1/4" to 3/8 (1 to 2 CY/1000 sq ft)
As a Soil Amendment Â
BioComp® can be used at any time of the year, in
any type of soil. It is especially well suited for use
in clay soils where it can be used at twice the normal
application rate.
 3 CY/1000 sq ft or 1" Deep
 6 CY/1000 sq ft or 2" Deep
As a MulchÂ
This is one of the few composts that can be safely
used an a mulch. It can be used for the protection
of flower beds, especially perennials and sensitive
root crops.
 6 CY/1000 sq ft or 2" Inches Deep
 12 CY/1000 sq ft or 4" Inches Deep (Fall
application only. Till in the spring.)
This compost product has been sampled and tested as required by the Seal of
Testing Assurance Program of the United States Composting Council (USCC).
Test results are available upon request by calling A1 Organics at 970-454-3492.
Class I Compost

Use your own "bio-solids", unless you have reason to believe that you harbor dysentery, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, within your corpus. The time and urgency has arrived for intelligent people to make careful use of the most available resource.

Looks like it's low in salts and tested for lower heavy metal content, so you are probably OK. I'd still double check with you extension agent. Here's what I found about the ingredients:

BioComp® Compost (Sandy/Clay/No Till) All natural product compost with a proven track record of performance. Produced utilizing a combination of several feedstocks, including brewers waste, wood wastes of various types, biosolids, and treatment plant residues. Meets EPA 40 CFR 503-13 requirements. BioComp® is the best product to lay under sod for maximum growth.

Hi t-dog,

I've used compost from my town which contains biosolids from our waste water treatment facility. Usually I've applied it in the fall and have not grown root crops there for the first year.
Another really great option is composted manure (rabbit manure is very good). Get a load of manure from a local livestock farmer or rabbit breeder and let it compost over the spring and summer. This option is often free except for the transport.
If you are not doing it already start a compost pile for household waste. I compost all of my vegetable kitchen waste, all paper waste (paper towels, tissues, stationary, newspapers etc.) except plastic coated, and as much yard waste (leaves grass etc.) as possible.
Because of the winter temps composting is not possible in my area right now so I save all my waste in bins and start it in the Spring.

Jon

You said: BioComp® is listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as an
amendment approved for use on Organically Certified Crops.

If it is approved for organic certification use you shouldn't have any problems with it. For the future tho you might want to consider taking up composting. Nothing can compete with compost you make in your own backyard. ;)

Dave

You can't go wrong with EKO-I love it!!

We started collecting stuff last year for our own compost pile and have been adding to it all winter but in Colorado the "heap" sits frozen so I won't have any of my own compost until fall or so.
I was trying to find some specs on EKO but had a hard time. I did find a link to them and biosolids as well but not sure if it is just a project that they are working on or if it is actually in their compost?

Thanks again for all the help everyone, I will call the distributor and the CSU extension office today.

I have not gotten an answer on my Bio Comp but I did get ahold of EKO and they DO use biosolids in their compost. I don't know what it is like where you are located but EKO is the one that you can find everywhere here in CO.