First Garden! Help on picking compost please! Denver Colorad
This is going to be our first garden this year (really excited) and one issue that we need help on is picking out a compost. A little background: Last fall we built two raised beds and placed a mix of topsoil and BIOCOMP in them, and over the winter we have ordered all of our seeds, tools, ingredients for our complete organic fertilizer, books etc. Everything is planned and laid out except what compost we are going to add before planting. We live in the Denver area and two that are readily available to us in bulk are BIOCOMP and B.O.S.S composts and then the ever plentiful EKO compost in bags. Any suggestions or guidance is greatly appreciated.
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hendi_alex
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I am not familiar with commercial composts so will be no help there. But IMO there is no substitute for making your own compost, where you know exactly what ingredients are going in and the source of those ingredients. My primary question to a commercial supplier would involve that aspect. What went in to the compost and what was the source of those ingredients? Colorado is a fairly progressive state, and I would be surprised if there is not a good source for high quality compost, perhaps even some with an organic certification, if such a thing exists for compost. Although we use commercial soiless potting soils, that same issue concerns me there as well and I'll be making an adjustment in the next year or two, perhaps even making my own blends.
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rainbowgardener
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you might be surprised... maybe not for the earliest spring plantings. But as soon as your pile unfreezes, move all the stuff at the top off to be the bottom of a new pile. When you get to the layer where the earthworms are (assuming your pile is on the ground), just stir everything around a little. Makes sure it gets some sun and some water and it will finish very fast...
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You mentioned there was compost mixed into the beds last fall. Do you need to add more this spring? Are the beds full or need more fill? How many beds and how big are they?
Perhaps you can get by with what you have and use your existing compost pile in summer as a mulch to finish off the beds.
I've never had to pay for compost, so can't be much help there as to what commercial product to buy.
Don't forget to pick up some coffee ground for your compost heap.
You mentioned there was compost mixed into the beds last fall. Do you need to add more this spring? Are the beds full or need more fill? How many beds and how big are they?
Perhaps you can get by with what you have and use your existing compost pile in summer as a mulch to finish off the beds.
I've never had to pay for compost, so can't be much help there as to what commercial product to buy.
Don't forget to pick up some coffee ground for your compost heap.
If you like the idea of doing you own composting then go here, https://www.weblife.org/humanure/index.html. This guy has been doing his own for over 20 years. His book is free to download and is a mine of information. We have been using it for a bit over two years now and have had great results.
I think I remember him talking about the compost freezing at his place but don't remember the out come
. We don't get that cold here. 
I think I remember him talking about the compost freezing at his place but don't remember the out come
. We don't get that cold here.