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Upstate New York

know any sources for good soil, compost and mulch?

18 years ago

To start I would like to say how much I appreciate all of the folks who post and provide so many great ideas, help and suggestions. I recently found these forums and they have been such a tremendous source of information!

While I know it would be best to have my own compost bin, I don't - so every year I try to find somewhere that I can purchase some good compost and mulch for my garden beds. When I saw this forum I got very excited - what a great opportunity to ask other people who live near me and can sympathize with my clay soil!!! Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can get some 'good stuff' this spring?

Also, at the end of last summer we had a concrete patio slab put in right off the house in the back yard. Looks great (looks like slate)- the only problem is that the top of the slab is about 3 inches off the ground and I was not expecting that! Seems that I will have to get some good top soil to build up and level off to the yard and to the beds on either side of the patio. Again, I will ask if anyone has any recommendations.

Thanks so much and I look forward to when I can help to answer questions instead of just ask them!!

Comments (2)

penny1947
18 years ago
Welcome kebrown
If memory serves me correctly, the town of Amherst offers free compost/mulch for residents or for next to nothing. The it the best I can tellyou as I have to make my own or buy it at a garden center and since I need so much for our heavy clay I make my own.

Another option for your patio slab (we are planning on something similar hopefully this summer) is to put planting beds around the perimeter of your patio. The raised area would help hold the soil back off the patio.

Penny
gottagarden
18 years ago
Amherst sells compost at a great price, and open to anyone, not only residents. It's NOT sewage, so no heavy metals and ok for veggies. I buy it by the truckload - $20 for a full size pickup heaped. Or you get it by the bucket. It's great stuff, however, it is full of little plastic pieces from landscapers who dump all their trash, not just plant material. So you will probably have to spend a fair bit of time pulling all that plastic out.

I also buy shredded wood mulch from a place on Route 33 just west of Corfu. Much more expensive ($60 per truckload) but still lots cheaper than bags, and has no plastic in it. So it's good for mulching the top. You may not want to drive that far. $40 truckload for big wood chips.

Topsoil I get from a local excavator. They all seem to charge about the same. $20-$25 per yard delivered.

Here is a link that might be useful: amherst compost facility
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