we use mushroom compost (fresh from the farm) to start our gardens with and to top up when needed, but we also feed the medium by adding all rottable scraps under the mulches we use. the mulches are green type spoilt hay mulches so there is nutrient being added all the time. no matter what migh be in mushroom compost it is all we can access as those mixed soils from the suppliers could contain all sorts of undesirables as well, but in the end you have to use what is economically available. we don't till/dig gardens the worms do that free of charge and effort. len Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

What a great question -- you made me look it up. I read somewhere (not sure if true) that mushroom compost is usually basic (and for that reason, not to be used on my blueberries). That would be one difference. Mushroom compost is a by-product of mushroom farming. I think it does not have as much nitrogen as manure compost (since the mushrooms used most of it already) and there's a warning that the salts in pure mushroom compost may burn seedlings. Depending on the supplier, it may also have pesticide residues?! Ok, now I'm wondering WHY I put 2 bags of it on the veggie bed instead of using cheaper chicken manure compost. Phooey! :(

I will say a word about compost. For several years I bought compost at the Ft. Smith landfill. It started out being pretty good stuff, I think at one time they had inmates or people from the Bost center picking out the plastic trash bags. Now the bags are shredded along with the wastes and screened, or blown out. The compost has a lot of shredded plastic in it which gets worse as the compost decays. The plastic blows all over your yard and garden and you spend years trying to get rid of it. The only reason I am saying this is to suggest that you know about the compost before you buy it because it can have chemicals, plastic or about anything else in it. I have used 3 scoops of mushroom compost from Miami so far and am happy with if. If you get compost from a city facility, find out how they process it. You may not want it even if it is free. Larry

The best advice can only come from someone who knows what your current soil is like and what it lacks. But here are some differences between the amendments. Mushroom manure adds organic material without a lot of nutrients, so you might say it is fairly "nutrient neutral". It would be good in most soils, particularly if they are either sandy or full of clay and in need of additional organic material. You would then add other amendments or fertilizer to balance any nutrient deficiencies in the soil. The risks are low and it is helpful for many soil types. Lifestock manure when well composted also adds organic matter but is also high in nitrogen. So it is like adding compost + a high nitrogen fertilizer. It is a good choice if you need the nitrogen. But the manure has to be well composted before you add it to the soil. If you add horse or cow manure directly to the soil the ammonia and salts that are released as it begins to decompose can be too much for your plants and burn them. It can take 9 months to a year before the manure has composted down to the point where it is safe. So find out how it was produced. Chicken manure is livestock manure on steroids. It is higher in nitrogen, which can be a plus if that is a deficiency you need to address. Again, it has to be composted (or "aged") before it is safe to add to an active garden. In short, if you don't know your soil shortcomings, mushroom manure is always the safe bet - especially if you are going to use a specific rose fertilizer to supply nutrients. If you are going to fertilize anyway, then the potent livestock or chicken manure may be overkill.