Composted Cow Manure in MD

[gflynn]

Hi,

I have heard great things about Black-Kow composted cow manure but I live in Maryland and they don't sell it here. Is there a good alternative I can use in MD?

Thanks,
Greg

[brog]

Try this question on general discussion, more people read there and you will get good advice.

[gflynn]

Brog,

That is good advice and I have done just that but it looks like I will not have to find the alternative because the soil vendors for my landscaper have found one.

The story is that my yard's soil is being replaced due to a contaminate and Dow Agro is graciously paying due to the fact that they make the active ingredient. It's essentially a long term weed killer that is used in the mid-west to kill Canadian Thistle. Some folks are spraying it on hay (which they arn't supposed to do) and then selling the hay. The horses eat it and then poop it. Gardeners gather the manure and are in for a suprise!

I told the landscaper who is doing the work to use the following as a soil replacement:
1. 2/3 Pro-Mix by weight
2. 1/3 100% composted cow manure by weight.
3. 1lbs Garden Tone per 4.5 cubic feet of soil (3 cups per bag of promix and bag of manure).

The landscaper said, no problem. Two weeks later I called him and asked why I had heard nothing and he said they were having trouble finding the ingredients. I had given them names of products and vendors that would sell them. I even talked to Southern States and they assured me they could have a truck load of the material in bags at my home in a week so I was suprised to hear that the landscaper couldn't find the materials.

As it turns out they use two vendors that premix soil. The landscaper didn't want to deal with individual bags. He tried to convince me that these vendors live and breath soil and that what I needed was Topsoil mixed with a little leaf-gro and some fertilizer. I was irrate. I had said from the begining that Topsoil wouldn't work. These vendors are making soil to grow grass and trees and flowers but not a vegetable garden.

In the end the vendors aggreed to procure the stuff and the landscaper will mix it on site. It will be quite a garden. They will dig out the gardens 8 inches deeper and wider then the orginal garden. VERY COOL!

Greg

[kath]

Just wanted to say that it's nice to hear that such a great garden will be the end result of the chemical fiasco...something very exciting and positive to look forward to in the near future.
By the way, what was your take on the Pink Berkeley Tie Dye?
Kath

[RinTinTin]

That almost makes me wish I could find a nice piece of contaminated land to buy! Sounds as if you will have a very nice garden next season. BTW, how large is the plot that they are replacing?

[wmontanez]

That is great news! Good luck with your new vegetable garden keep us posted, will love to see the plants growing healthy.