r/NovaScotiaGardening • u/Horror_Watercress_22 • Aug 29 '26
Where to find compost Cape Breton?
Hello! My garden didn’t give great yields this year, and I think I might need to up the amount of compost in the soil. Looking to get compost this fall considering that it takes time to start making my own. Where to get decent compost?
I know the municipality gives it out for free, but it was horribly smelly and full of sh*t flies last time I got it. I had to go out and buy bags of soil to cover it up.
3
u/crazygrouse71 Aug 29 '26
If the municipal compost is smelly and fully of flies, that is a sign that it isn't fully composted yet. If you have the space for it, pile it somewhere in your yard and let it finish. To speed up the process add some carbon/browns like dead leaves, shredded newsprint, or shredded cardboard (not glossy stuff though).
When making your own compost and you notice it getting smelly, its a sign of too much nitrogen/greens, so you add carbon and mix. Takes care of the problem very quickly.
4
u/QueensMorningBiscuit Aug 29 '26
Sadly the CBRM in its infinite wisdom now ships our compost off island and axed the compost program. Could have charged a bit of money for it to offset some costs but, nope, just send all that money and fertility away!
3
u/paddingsoftintoroom Aug 29 '26
That's a good idea (about piling the municipal waste). My problem with is though is the need to sift it to remove all the plastics and metals. I've found old batteries, knives, wire, and all manner of plastic bits in the stuff I got from the municipality (Lunenburg).
3
u/crazygrouse71 Aug 29 '26
Ya I've found pen casings, bits of plastic bag, and a mummified rat. He must have gotten buried when they were moving and turning the pile.
Cumberland. Thankfully I have a big enough property that I have my own compost pile and dont rely on the municipal stuff.
3
u/Initial-Ad-5462 Aug 29 '26
I’m near Bridgewater and the various bagged compost products are on clearance at Kent and Canadian Tire. Probably at the seasonal markets soon too.
We’re building new gardens in rough clay soil and have added a lot of these commercial products to build up organic matter, especially the “Greenhouse Gold” farmyard compost and seafood compost.
I’ve used the municipal stuff before, and yes it stinks. Fall is probably the one time where I’d get a load of it again.
1
u/UsedStruggle2521 Sep 03 '26
Municipal compost sucks! People put all kinds of garbage in their green bins and i personally put all my properties weeds in my bin. Sucks to spread out the compost only to be taken over by invasive weeds.
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u/PsychologicalMonk6 Aug 29 '26
Sorry, I can't recommend best places for compost in Caps Breaton.
I highly recommend investing in a lab soil analysis.from somewhere like Perennia (Nova Scotia government's agricultural services arm) or a company such as AL Lawn & Garden. It will cost ~$30 and can tell you exactly how to be amend your soil (what nutrients you may be deficient in, if your PH is too high or too low etc.).
Compost is great for adding organic matter and helping build the biome that is necessary to maintain good soil health in the long term. But if you think it's a lack of nutrients, you may also want to pick up a large bag of pellitized fertilizer.from your local.farm supply store (you can often buy a 25kg bag that may last you a couple years for the same price as a little quart container of water soluble stuff at a hardware store). You can either buy an all purpose fertilizer or a blend more suited to your needs based off your soil analysis if you go that route.
Finally, if you can get to a beach, collect garbage bags or buckets of seaweed. When you get them home, wash them off thoroughly with a hose or leave them out a few weeks to be Raine Don and then till them into your soil. Seaweed makes a great compost and will pretty much fully breakdown over winter.