WHAT IS MUSHROOM COMPOST, AND WHY IS IT USED ?

 

Mushroom compost is a 100% organic mixture of wheat straw, peat moss, cottonseed meal, cottonseed  hulls, corncobs,

cocoa bean shells, gypsum, lime, chicken litter, and/or horse stable bedding. This combination of ingredients is extremely rich

in nutrients and is used in commercial mushroom farms to grow mushrooms.  (Hence the name "mushroom" compost.) 

 

This material is composted for many weeks and then placed into a warehouse where it is completely sterilized. Among other things, sterilization prevents contamination with weeds.

 

How do I use Mushroom Compost ?

 

Mushroom compost is very versatile since you can add it into the soil before planting or you can use it for top dressing an existing garden. It is excellent for use in annual or perennial flower beds and vegetable gardens. It is rich in nutrients that make it a great benefit to almost anything you may want to grow. If you are using mushroom compost to lay sod, you can obtain  maximum benefit by tilling it into the soil. If used for planting an annual or perennial flower bed or vegetable garden, apply at least a 3-inch layer of mushroom compost on top of your bed and till it in 5-6 inches deep. You won't need to add anything else to your beds for the entire growing season. Mushroom compost is a non-burning fertilizer, and can be spread right up against the stems of your plants. Do not plant directly into the compost, since it is much too rich. It is only non-burning when you till it into the soil or top-dress a garden with existing plants that already have a well-developed root system. A thin layer of mushroom compost can also be applied on top of potting soil in house plants that have proper drainage. Do not use mushroom compost in containers that have no drainage!
 

How is Mushroom Compost Different From Cow Manure ?


Mushroom compost is shipped directly from mushroom farms at the end of the growing season when the planting trays are emptied. We do not change the composition of this product in any way. There are some bagged products being marketed as mushroom compost that are actually a mixture of other materials with a little bit of mushroom compost added in. It is not true mushroom compost. Unfortunately, cow manure is being marketed in a similar way. The actual amount of pure cow manure in most products is very limited. Unless it is dehydrated cow manure, you're not getting much more than standard potting soil. Mushroom compost has an odor when you buy it that rapidly disappears when applied to your gardens. If it doesn't have an odor when you buy it, it won't be very good. The effectiveness of mushroom compost compared to cow manure is much greater even if it's dehydrated cow manure.

 

 

 

 

 

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WHAT DOES A "YARD OF MULCH" MEAN ?

 

What Is A "Cubic Yard" ?

   

A "cubic yard" is one yard cubed, or a volume measurement of twenty-seven cubic feet. It is the accepted standard of measurement used by the mulch industry for selling bulk landscaping materials. "Bulk" materials are materials that are sold in large quantities. Bulk landscaping products are normally sold loose, not in bags. When purchased, these materials are loaded with a front-loader bucket into the customer’s truck or trailer. To give you a little perspective, in the above photo you can a front loader bucket which contains one-half a cubic yard of mulch. A cubic yard is roughly the same as the back end of a small pick up truck. A full size truck can hold anywhere from 1.5 to 3 cubic yards.

 

BE CAUTIOUS -   Be aware when purchasing and comparing prices given that some mulch dealers will sell by the “scoop” and provide you with various sizes. Many of these “scoops” are a good deal smaller than a cubic yard. Wright Landscape Supply has a large variety of mulches, soils, sand and stone products available in bulk and in bags - and we take pride in providing our customers with a full measurement at all times.

 

The photo above shows a one-half cubic yard of mulch. Two cubic yards of mulch will fill a standard sized pick-up truck bed. When spread, one cubic yard covers 162 square feet of ground if applied two inches thick. Likewise, two cubic yards will cover 324 square feet of ground two inches thick, and ten cubic yards will cover 1620 square feet of ground two inches thick.

 

To calculate the number of cubic yards required for your next landscaping project, simply click on this website link

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and type in your square footage and the thickness (depth) you desire your mulch to be applied. The Landscape Material Calculator will quickly determine the proper cubic yardage you will need and will help you to avoid coming up short or buying excessive material. The cubic yard is a valuable unit of measurement to help assure that you are getting the value you expect when purchasing landscaping materials. Remember, however that the Landscape Material Calculator can provide you with estimates only - just to give you an idea where to start. The exact amount of material needed will vary with each type and method of application.

 

Another way to figure out how much mulch you will need is to obtain the square footage of the area you want to cover and divide that number by 100. This will give you the number of cubic yards that you need to cover your area. For instance, if you have 750sqft. Divide 750 by 100 and you will get 7.5 - thus you will need 7.5 cubic yards to cover that area at a depth of three inches. If you want to cover an area at a different depth refer to our

Landscape Material Calculator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHEN CAN I BEGIN MY SPRING PLANTING ?

Ohio has a long history as a farming state. According to the Ohio Historical Society, the Adena people - native Americans who inhabited this region - were farming the land that is now Ohio as early as 1000 B.C. These ancient people and a number of native American tribes who later inhabited the region grew corn, pumpkins, beans, melons, sunflowers and numerous other crops. Ohio enjoys a temperate climate and a relatively long growing season - about 160 days, so most temperate zone crops can be grown here.

Crop Selection

According to the Ohio State University Master Gardener Extension Service, more than 40 vegetable crops can be grown in Ohio. For gardeners with limited space the Extension suggests choosing two leafy green or yellow vegetables like lettuce, kale or squash; two pod vegetables like beans or peas; two root vegetables like carrots, radishes, or parsnips. The Extension then suggests adding cabbage, tomatoes and a few family favorites.

Planting Cool Weather Crops

Saint Patrick's Day in mid March is the traditional go-ahead date for planting early spring crops. These include broccoli, cabbage, leeks, onion, peas, radishes, shallots, spinach and turnip. These plants are resistant to light frost but do not do well when prolonged periods of warm weather set in, so it is unwise to wait until all danger of frost has passed as you must do with other crops. Second plantings of these crops will mature before the first killing frost if planted in late summer when evening temperatures have begun to drop.

The Next Phase

Once danger of frost has passed - usually in mid-April to mid-May in Ohio - crops like tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumber, eggplant, peppers and corn can go outside. To get a head start on these crops, plant them from seeds in indoor flats about six weeks before transplant time. Keep them moist and covered with clear plastic until they germinate, then uncover them, place them in a sunny location and keep the soil damp and the leaves misted.

Succession Planting

Check the maturity figures on your seed packets to see which crops mature more quickly. Plan to plant these vegetable crops every two weeks to assure a steady supply throughout the growing season. Remove and send spent plants to the compost pile to make room for more plantings including the cool weather crops you will start again in late summer.

Extending the Growing Season with Containers

Container gardening, whether in portable pots or fixed raised beds, can extend the growing season. Start pots indoors and bring them outside to allow final ripening of many crops including tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. The soil in outdoor raised beds is generally warmer than that in the garden, so plants can be planted earlier and harvested later. Because fertilization in raised beds is so easy to accomplish, spacing is less of an issue and vegetables can be planted much closer together.

 USDA Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLIMATE ZONES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLIMATE ZONES

 

 

 

This map shows the climate zones in Ohio. This information is especially useful when purchasing seeds, plants, shrubs or trees which are often labeled with a zone recommendation that tells you the "hardiness" level of that particular plant.

 

What are Hardiness Zones?

 

The Plant Hardiness Zones divide the United States and Canada into 11 areas based on a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the average annual minimum temperature. (The United States falls within Zones 2 through 10). For example, the lowest average temperature in Zone 2 is -50 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the minimum average temperature in zone 10 is +30 to +40 degrees Fahrenheit. If a range of zones, for example, zones 4-9, is indicated, the tree or perennial is known to be hardy in zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Suitable hardiness means a plant can be expected to grow in the zone's temperature extremes, as determined by the lowest average annual temperature. Keep in mind that local variations such as moisture, soil, winds, and other conditions might also affect the viability of individual plants.

 

What zone do you live in?

 

 

Enter your zip code in the box below to find your zone number!

                            

 

 

 

 

Article by Lois Lawrence http://www.ehow.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRETCHEN & SHANNON WRIGHT, OWNERS

740.653.3447

gsowright@gmail.com

 

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