First off, where do you live? If you live in one of the Northern VA counties, then you are entitled to go to one of their sites -- 4 Mile Run at Walter Reed Dr in Shirlington; off Eisenhower Ave in Cameron Station, and there's one off Glebe in N Arlington -- to get their bark mulch or leaf mulch. My brother lives in Park Fairfax so I go in his name. This is the only municipality in the area I know of that separates the bark product from thie chopped leaves. I much prefer the latter.

If you live in College Park, I have recently learned that they have a facility off Rhode Island Ave that produces LeafPro (finished leaf compost) and sells it at cost to local residents. I understand they deliver too. No idea what they charge nonresidents.

If you are in PG County, there is a facility on 301 near Chew Rd.

No idea what is available for DC residents.

Does this help?

Lynn

Anyone know where I might be able to get free compost in Harford, or Cecil County, MD? Southern Lancaster County, PA on in DE near the MD line would work also.

Thanks!!

Crab-joe, you should be near some farm. Knock on a door and ask if the farmer has any that he needs to find a home for. I used to work in soil test lab and did manure analyses for quite a few farmers, especially Cecil Co. I do not rmember though if it was for 4-legged or 2-legged aminuls. Could try calling co. extension and ask for manure agent Mary

Now that's a horse of a different color!

I use the leaf-mulch I was discussing earlier as a major component of new beds and as a three-to-four-inch topdressing on all my beds each spring where others would use bark mulch. This is completely separate from the more intensive nitrogenous fertilizer you are now discussing.

For that, as Mary says, make friends with a farmer. 4-H is a good start, as is the House Rabbit Society, or anyone that raises goats or sheep, or even horses,though the manure from critters that chew their cud tends to break down faster and contain fewer weed seeds. You could do another thing I did too -- visit the Maryland Sheep and Wool Fest at the Timonium fairgrounds the first weekend in May, and "cultivate" folks who raise ungulates near you.

LynnT

The last few years, along w/ lots of purchased manure, humus, & mulch, I've been getting free mulch from the county at Grist Mill Park. I don't have a truck, so I've been hauling it home, a little at a time in recycling bins-boy, is that hard work! We have a heavily-treed lot, & had a HUGE leaf problem to deal w/ every fall, it would kill me to see my husband rake up 20-30 bags of leaves & leave them at the curb...I started a compost pile, he got a big leaf chipper/shredder/vac thing, now I can use my own compost to mulch & topdress-best thing I ever did for my garden...Linda

Thanks for the info folks... I'll now need to get the nerve up to go knock on someone's door.

I did call the county landfill dept to see if any compost was available and was told there was none at the time, but sometime in May, they expect to get some...