Return to the Soil Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
Posted by engineeredgarden 7, nw Alabama (My Page) on Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 19:18
| I'll be making alot more compost than I can use in my garden, and am looking at selling the extra to the public. Does anyone know what a fair price would be for it? I'll most likely sell it in 2 cuft. bags. Thanks
EG |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 19:57
| I sell some of mine for $1.50 for a 20 liter pail. If in bulk and I can load with a tractor, $40/cubic yard. Lloyd |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by ericwi Dane County WI (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 19:59
| I would pay more for it if you told me it was free of pesticide, herbicide, insecticide. |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| Lloyd - thanks for the reply. I have 6 pallet bins, and enough ingredients to fill them easily. I save all of the bags that my shepherd's dry dog food comes in, and will most likely sell it by the bag. A bag would most likely equal about 2-3 cubic feet. eric - since the ingredients came from a variety of sources, there's no way to guarantee that. I can guarantee it to be weed-free, though. EG |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 20:42
| I should have mentioned, people have to bring their own containers. I have pails for measuring but that's it. I am not able to guarantee 'cide free either. I get all my feedstocks from about 1600 households. I have no idea what gets applied to those lawns/plants. I admire this guys operation! Lloyd |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| Who in their right mind would pay for something so easy and fun to make for themselves??? |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| As a reference point, according to google calculator, 20 liters = 0.706293334 cu feet. That works out to about $4.29 for 2 cu ft. "Who in their right mind would pay for something so easy and fun to make for themselves???" Somebody who doesn't have the time, space or materials to do it themselves, somebody who doesn't know how, somebody who has no interest in making compost but has an interest in using it, etc. Believe it or not, there are people who hire lawn services to mow their grass and rake their leaves in teh fall. I knew a guy with one of these businesses and he told me that he gave his customers the option of leaving the clippings or paying extra to haul them off. He told me that most paid extra to haul the clippings away and also paid to have their leaves hauled off. He told me that some of them also bought compost from him (guess what the compost was made from). |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| randy - some people are not physically able to make their own - especially due to the turning process. I don't know many seniors that can turn a 4x4 pile with a manure fork... EG |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 8:03
When I read the "who in their right mind.." I almost spewed coffee all over my keybboard! I don't think that most of us compost whackos enthusiasts (ya'll know who you are) on the forum are in their right mind! It just struck me as funny. Ya, sometimes I feel a little guilty getting money from the Town for taking the yard trimmings and then having the people pay me to come get it back. Kinda obscene. Especially for topdressing the lawns! They send their grass clippings out and buy the compost to grow the grass. I then remind myself that if I didn't do this program, all the yard trimmings would go the landfill. And if they didn't buy the compost from me, they'd probably either drive to the city to get some or buy peat. That's when I sit down and have a beer or two. Lloyd |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
Any concern about pathogens or soil borne dz? Don't you need some kind of license to sell semi-food related items??
Not trying to rain on your parade but I looked into this once and seemed I had some hoops to jump thru?? Pete |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by luke_oh zone 5 NE Ohio (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 10:21
I guess that you can get whatever someone is willing to pay.
My neighbor, dairy farmer, started composting his manure and bedding mixed with leaves in the fall and sells for $4.00 a 50 lb feed bag full. It is very high quality, dry and has become a great side business for him. He has been making compost for about 4 years. I buy it in bulk for $15.00 a cubic yard. Luke |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
- Posted by paulns NS zone 6a (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 19:37
Randy was addressing fellow wackos, I believe - his question was rhetorical. Note the three question marks.
Compost made of chicken manure and sawdust from a large egg and produce farm here goes for $30/cubic meter.
On the other hand, the local landfill will fill your truck with municipal compost for free. Who knows what's in it.
Who are your customers? Weekend urban gardeners who care about organic, or people trying to grow their groceries? |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| Pete...I dont think he's gotta jump through too many hoops to sell his compost. If it's like "Hey buddy here's the money and Hey buddy here's your compost," then its more of an amicable sale and not really tweaking uncle sam. If he's got like a major operation or is near a watershed...well thats a different story. Might need a sale permit. To EG...read Malcolm Beck's "The Secrets of Compost" He's the local compost/bulk materials guru here in San Antonio and goes into detail on compost and selling it. |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| From what's been said here, it doesn't even sound like it would be worth the effort - especially with the amount we're talking about. One would really need a large scale operation to do any good. I'll most likely need only half for the garden - the remaining half wouldn't be worth $100. EG |
RE: Going to sell compost, questions.....
| | |
| I agree with your last past engineer I though I had a lot to and toyed with making more and selling it but even though its black gold to us really not going to come out on micro scale I will just keep making the garden bigger and its more fun to give away than to deal with "customers" |
|
|
|
|
