I don't like the wood chips either. By the way, I lived in Berkeley for thirty years. I now live in New Mexico.

I have a couple of acres of land in the high desert. The soil is sandy in some areas and light red clay in other areas. I'll have to pay more careful attention to where the two types merge, and how plants do in those areas. A lot of folks claim adding sand to clay soil basically makes concrete. Haven't heard anybody talk about adding clay to sandy soil. Clay does have good mineral value.
Lorna

In San Mateo county they give away compost. It is very nice stuff, too. Whole Foods is not exactly known for reasonable prices. Why don't you look at getting your compost elsewhere?

Adding clay to sandy soils is the same thing as adding sand to clay soils, unless you add very large quantities it will do little to help. For much benefit to ensue you would need to add at least 25 percent clay to your sand, something that may well be much too expensive. I could get enough clay to add to my sand free but the trucking cost is more than I am willing to pay.

Well, I did see an improvement in the area under a street tree after the treatment with the whole foods compost. The soil is less likely to wash away, and suffers less from dry fly aways. I had four bags, the last one, I opened did not have any clay. So, you can't count on whole foods compost to be the same bag for bag. I do make my own, by the way, I am just looking for extra, because there is never enough. I don't think I would truck any thing in. I have a small garden, and most of the soil improve is very small and in small areas, but over 10 years, it can make a difference.

I searched for free compost and I found this, but it's from 2005, and you have to be a resident. My thinking on the subject is I only put undesirable items, I can't compost myself in the municipal compost bins. Weeds with seeds, plants with aphids and fungal diseases. Therefore, any one taking free compost might bring unpleasant things to their garden. I heard of a person who used some kind of mulch which was trucked in and it brought a fungal disease that killed all his trees. I read it here on this forum a few years ago.

Redwood City, CA - September 26, 2005 - Back by popular demand, RethinkWaste is teaming up with Redwood City to provide FREE compost on Saturday, October 1, 2005. The compost is made from yard trimmings collected at the curb. Residents of Redwood City may take up to 1 cubic yard of compost (about six full garbage cans) at no charge while supplies last. Proof of residency is required. The free compost will be provided at the Redwood City Public Works Services parking lot, 1400 Broadway, between the hours of 8 am and 12 noon on October 1 only .

Until last year, I used to garden for my mother-in-law when I visited (2-3 times a year) and you could go to a pick-up place in one of the county parks (?) and take all the compost you wanted for free. I think you were supposed to be a resident, but no one was there to check. While I wasn't a resident, she was, so I felt ok about it. Over the years, I did it many times. I never had a truck, just my m-i-l's very fancy car, but I just saved the bags from when I bought other amendments or potting soil for her, and reused those and other assorted containers.

Anyhow, I am not suggesting that you go to a different county to scam free compost, but that you look at other sources if you aren't happy with the compost from WF.

BTW, compost from yard waste is perfectly fine to use. It heats to a much, much higher temp than home-made compost and is very, very unlikely to contain any weed seeds or pathogens. Aphids won't survive even home composting. Heck, they won't survive a blast of water from the hose. You can compost them yourself quite safely.

"Some kind of mulch" is a whole 'nother story. Whatever that is, could, indeed, have brought in oak root fungus or some other disease. This would be especially true if the mulch was un-composted oak bark chips or something like that. But oak root fungus is so widespread in your region, your friend could have gotten in any number of ways. It often is dormant for many years before it starts showing symtoms, so it would be impossible to say it was "brought" in by any one item.

If you can't get compost in your county for free, go to the nearest nursery or Home Depot and buy it. I would bet you nearly anything it would be cheaper than WF.

I did find this site. They seem to be giving compost how to workshops, but they are neither giving away or even selling compost. I wonder what they do with all the compost? I am not so sure it is that great. I would really need to look at the quality (I can tell a lot just by eye balling compost) before I would consider accepting it in my garden. But, it's a mute point, because they must sell it to commerical developers.

Here is a link that might be useful: San Mateo Composting

You wouldn't be eligible anyhow, since you live in SF. My point was there are lots of sources for compost other than WFs. Good luck!

I could have gotten some because I have a good friend in San Mateo with a great garden. However, San Francisco also has no compost free or otherwise from the commercial program. I liked something I used to get at east bay nursery, but I can't remember the name of it. It might have been something like 49er gold compost. I don't like brand that have a lot of sand because sand is not what I need at all, and at least whole foods compost has no sand. I will probably get more of that, what ever it is. I just took out my lawn to save water, and I am planing to make my garden all plants after some massive soil improvement. I like Starbucks coffee grounds for my compost bins, but I just can't make enough compost. Once I get the garden to a good state soil wise, it doesn't take that much compost to maintain a soil that is already up to par.