source for bulk mushroom compost, & complete organic granualized fertilizer?

I would like to know of a good source for buying a few yards of mushroom compost, preferabley on the sea-to-sky corridor, or in vancouver. I'd also appreciate learning of a source for a complete, organic granualized fertilizer for enriching my kitchen garden soil.
It's been a pretty slow summer harvest, but I'm gonna try for a fall/winter garden this year. Thanks, Jo

 

Hi jo--just a quick note as I rush out...

Mushroom compost has been discussed before, maybe somebody can find a link to other threads. It is certainly not a wonder product, maybe quite questionable from what I recall...so maybe poke around for a bit more info before spending $ and time to get and spread it. Sorry I'm not familiar with other compost sources up your way...building up the organic matter is very important in my experience so you'll probably need something.

For organic fertilizer, the Territorial and West Coast Seed folks have passed along Steve Solomon's doityourself recipe for years...you should have no problem getting ingredients from a feed store and/or garden centre. Something like 4 parts seed meal (canola or flax are easy to get up here), 1/2 part bone meal, 1 part kelp meal, 1 part dolomite. Once the soil is well enriched for several years, I often just use the seed meal for the nitrogen kick, since most other items hang around in the soil a fair bit and might not need adding every year.

 

thanks for pointing me toward this recipe. I googled it and found the exact recipe. I do get down to the city pretty often, and would appreciate if you could steer me toward a retail outlet for these ingredients. Anywhere between West Van, Port Coquitlam, and Richmond would be ok. I didn't have much luck finding a source on the internet. I will read up on the pros and cons of mushroom compost before going that direction. Many thanks

 

The bone meal and dolomite are available at any garden centre, including Home Depot for e.g.

Seed and kelp meals are both used in animal rations, so I get them from the Otter coop in Langley...sold in sacks very well priced compared to a garden centre.

Surely you have a feed store or co-op in the Pemberton farm belt (?)...maybe even a tack store (horse supplies...maybe they are supplements in horse rations too?) In the "big city" the quantities are smaller but you pay about the same buying from a nursery or big box store...that is, they will sell little pails or boxes of fertilizer ingredients for around the price of a feed sack at the co-op!

Hope you can track some down.

 

Experiment with a bag of Seasoil in a section of your garden. It's available from Home Depot.

Read Des Kennedy's testimonial on the Seasoil home page, www.seasoil.com

 

thanks for the tips. I look forward to trying out a fall vegetable garden, and then another full season next spring. I expect to see some significant difference once I get the soil built up.