I've contacted local city and county governments, and they do not offer compost to residents.

The only compost offered in the local home centers are the bags of either "mushroom compost" or "steer manure", neither of which I'm impressed with, plus being rather expensive.

I don't have the budget to order bulk from a nursery or landscaping supply, not to mention have the muscle to move it all off my driveway in a day so we can park.

I need a source that I can take a few small rubbermaid-type storage totes to once a week or so and fill up, so I can fit them in my tiny compact car.

Craigslist is giving me no leads. There were ads for "composted horse manure" in the spring, but they all wanted to load up pickups, not have a crazy lady with a shovel come take a bucket or two every week.

Where can I look? My garden was brand-new this spring, made in raised beds from poor quality soil, and I need to get a whole lot of compost in it this fall.

If you had a tiny car, no budget, and needed compost quick, where would you look?

I've found mushroom compost to be a pretty good product generally speaking, although it depends on the actual supplier in your area. The study I did this spring on quality of bagged compost here in central MO found the mushroom was above average and was priced in the middle of the pack.

Joe

Any of your neighbors (or yourself) got a bagging mower?

If all else fails, stretch the small amount of compost you have by making compost tea

Oh, one more thing: wait until November. You can probably find all sorts of compost material in bags in every neighborhood in Suburbia on Sunday evenings (just be polite and discreet).

-place a want ad on Craigslist for manures &/or spoiled hay OR borrow a friend's truck or larger vehicle (I use a Suburban with garbage bags inside garbage cans, so can load up a lot & still keep the vehicle clean.)

-want ad for sawdust, spent hops, used coffee grounds, coffee chaff (from a roaster), herbicide free grass clippings, food bank gleanings (I'm sure they toss spoiled produce), etc. I've found a coffee shop with an outside spot where they dump their coffee grounds or over roasted beans & you bring your own containers/shovel to haul away any time of the day.

-hay sweepings from a feed store where they sell grass hay, alfalfa hay & straw (once covered the occasional sprouts aren't a problem & just add to the mix)

-offer to pick up manure from your county or state fair as they have to pay to dispose of it there & may be wiling for you to come load up during a show or afterward (llama & rabbit can be used right away and are easy to scoop pellets)
Perhaps, a rabbit club in your area will be having a show or you could find someone who raises rabbits for show or 4-H. Chicken & sheep manures are also smaller volumes & easy to mix with browns to reduce the odor. Once covered up with other materials there is no manure smell.

-animal rescues with livestock or small anaimals such as guinea pigs use pelleted bedding (sawdust) that composts well with manures & has a uniform appearance. As long as the sawdust is mixed with something it doesn't compact & become a problem. I've mixed it with manure, used coffee grounds, or grass clippings for mixed borders and in my edible gardening beds (out of the growing season) with great results.

-people who can or juice vegetables & fruits have scraps. That was a good idea to ask co-workers & the fall fruit harvest is almost here with apples, pears, & plums, which when processed always have waste especially apples.

-restaurant or local cafe for food scraps

-farmer's market might be a good place to find a regular supply

-browns: household paper scraps, used tissues & napkins, paper towel & toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, etc.

It may take awhile to make connections, but you never know what might appear. I've had llama walk past my driveway with the owner of course & she brought buckets of llama poo + coarse sand from their arena. Another gal I met on freecycle raises goats for milk & instead of taking a trailer full of spoiled goat hay bedding + manure & paying $10 to dump it at a recycler for him to compost she brings it to me about every 6 weeks to dump free.

When you make your contacts about the manures you could ask for their phone number or email to check back with them about when they would have more available for pick up. I have 2 places within 2 miles of me that I've used for several years now. I don't agree to take it all, but do say to contact me anytime they need to reduce the pile and that I'll contact them when I'm ready for more.

Hope that helps!