We have planted a new garden in our front yard (picture below) and, although we still have quite a few plants left to add, were wondering as to what type of topsoil coverage we should use. We tried bark mulch in other garden areas on our property and did not like it at all - too messy overall. Some gardens in our area have a lovely black topsoil that they add every spring and it looks great for the remainder of the season - is this fish compost? Any suggestions would be welcomed...
Thanks - I'll check with our local Garden Center this week-end and see what they say, I'm not familiar with 'spent mushroom compost' ... is it beneficial from a nutrient perspective?
It is the compost left over from growing mushrooms. It is good quality stuff for most plants, nutrient rich.
Well that probably makes sense in that it is used within our region - there are a couple large scale mushroom growers nearby! Thanks for the info Michael, much appreciated.
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/mushroom-compost.html >Mushroom compost is, in my opinion, one of the most over-hyped gardening products on garden shop shelves. The author may have a point. http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html
Durgan--I was looking for the same reference...altho it wouldn't hurt much on the open garden, I won't pay for mushroom compost, usually much better stuff around. Steve--your original thought about fish compost might still be correct, there is a product made up your way that we get shipped down here, called Sea Soil. Apparently the refuse from fish processing composted with forest fines (I understand this is trash from cleaning up logging sites before replanting). This does make a super organic addition, plus looking nice as a mulch as you've noticed. Could be what folks are using in your area, esp. if it's cheaper being close to the original producer in your part of the Island. Interesting that one nursery on Saltspring grew most of their container plants in this stuff amended with varying proportions of perlite, owner said (almost) all plants thrived in it. (Past tense is only coz they have recently closed down for other reasons).
As organic matter, it will still make a good soil conditioner. However, the point raised about chemical residues is a serious problem which should be borne in mind. If that's what it is, that's not so bad. But most fish compost is produced directly from freshly caught small fish (mainly sandeels), causing immense damage to the health of the marine environment. Do a search on "industrial fishing" for more info. Definitely a no-no.
"Sea Soil" in British Columbia is composted wood waste and fish trimmings from farmed Atlantic salmon. I have seen the composting plant near Beaver Cove on northern Vancouver Island and have also seen the bagged "Sea Soil" at local nurseries in the Vancouver area.
