I never thought it could be a safety hazard to store on a shelf in he shed...? I'm just a worrywart. It's theoretically possible that a high concentration of ammonium nitrate (which can be extracted to make some really explosive stuff) plus a very hot locale plus a static discharge could be exceedingly unpleasant. It's also theoretically possible that I'll get hit by a meteor this evening. I won't lose any sleep over it. And like Tak said above, it's unlikely that you'll be mixing fuel with it. Um...by the way, even if you watch Mythbusters (which I don't, lousy science)...don't do that. The buckets are more to keep it dry and in nice, individually-sized loads for you to use.

I got a catalog by email, using the ccviolets@msn.com address. If you used the other address I've seen floating around, you might want to try this one. Or I can forward the PDF if you'd like. Although it might be good to make contact with them to make sure they're getting your messages I think I'll go ahead an get a larger bag of the mixes and not worry about it going bad. I figured the vermiculite and perlite would be fine, but the peat seems more iffy. I'll ask about the fertilizer, too. There's no date on the bottles of liquid that I have, so it doesn't seem to be a top-of-mind concern for the companies.

Hi,what can happen,is that if a compost or well rotted manure pile sits for a long time,the nutrients can be leached out by rain.So if the piles are well rotted,then it is best to cover them with a tarp until needed.

The thing is different chemicals have different life expectancies. Fertilizers tend to lose nitrogen to the air if left open, but the other ingredients remain intact. I've noticed that year old Grass b Gone doesn't seem to be effective, but other weed killers last for years. That's about the extent of my knowledge, but none the less I use lots of old stuff although I don't normally use insecticides and am going mostly organic on fertilizers.