“Black Gold” Compost

Our “Black Gold” Premium Compost is $60/yard and our Wood Based Compost is $40/yard.

Our 50/50 mix (bed filler - half compost/half loam-sand) is $45/yard.

Natural Bark Mulch is $45/yard.

We offer free pick up for our compost, 50/50 and mulch at our site (see map). Compost site hours listed below.

Not capable of picking up? We offer local delivery! We can combine 2 materials in truck, but only 2 per load and there will be some mixing between then.

Click on the Compost & 50/50 Delivery button to see if you qualify and to place an order. We’ll call you back when we’re ready to schedule your delivery - don’t panic, we receive all the orders and we WILL call you as soon as we can schedule your order.

Not sure how much you need? One yard of compost will fill 100 sq. ft. area, 3” deep. For example: 20 x 10 size bed = 200 sq. ft. To add 3” depth you would need 2 yards of material for that bed. if you wanted double the depth or had 2 beds of this size, you’d need double the material - total would be 4 yards. Math is fun, right?

By appointment only at this time - call 413-446-2610 to see when someone will be available to load your truck.

Perhaps you’ve seen the bumper sticker “Compost Happens”. We just help it happen. We have a site where home owners, farmers, lawn care businesses, landscapers, trees services, transfer stations … can dump yard waste, wood chips and manure in the appropriate piles. We pick up more manure from farms that want us to take it and our own livestock generate a lot more. What about food waste, you ask. We take it if it’s free of plastic trash. A lot of it isn’t. Food waste management in this part of the state isn’t quite there for our scale operation.

The goal is to mix the inputs uniformly into windrows (long piles) that support the aerobic (oxygen using) microbes that decompose the organic matter into compost. We regularly turn the windrows making them “breath” for the aerobic organisms that make “compost happen”.

Early in the process the piles get really hot, up to 140º. Thermophilic (heat loving) microbes take advantage of the abundant sugars and carbohydrates in the fresh windrows. It is their metabolic activity that creates the heat, and its the heat that kills the weed seeds, pathogens and invasives. Windrow turn, after windrow turn, the food supply shifts more toward cellulose and the microbial community shifts as well. As the compost matures, nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant growth that has been tied up by the decomposers, is made available as they finish their job.

Depending on how you’re going to use compost there are things you can do to customize it. As a soil amendment to increase organic matter there’s not much you need to do. To increase production of crops that are heavy nitrogen feeders, you can add nitrogen. Blood meal, dehydrated chicken manure, alfalfa meal and many other options can help increase nitrogen. Inoculating the compost with mycorrhizal fungi can help the plants access the nutrients in the compost.

Asian Jumping Worms: With the rise of Asian Jumping worms in the U.S., we wanted to make a statement letting you know that we do heat treat our compost at 130F at length which does not allow the larva, cocoons, or adult species to survive. By design, the process of making compost prevents survival of these species because it takes such high temperatures to make the product itself. These worms are now everywhere and can be present in ANY potted plant you bring onto your property from any origin. That being said, the species is attracted to compost so if any are preexisting in your yard, gardens, purchased plants, etc. they will be drawn to the newly added material and may seem to present themselves. If this happens, you can draw them out of the dirt using 1 gallon of water mixed with 1/3 cup ground yellow mustard seed sprinkled on problem areas and then hand pluck them. Place them in a bag, allow to sit in the sun for ten minutes, and then throw away. We wish you a successful and (hopefully) worm-free gardening season!