Kitchen Garden Forum

Have just bought a load of compost ready for the new season's sowing, and it made me wonder: what is commercial compost made from, and how is it made? The one I usually buy has small bits of twiggy matter in it. Presumably they don't have a bucket outside their back door to empty out all the canteen kitchen scraps...
And what does "loam based" mean in a compost context? javascript:emoticon(':?:')

Croydon Council make their own compost. they collect all the cutting from the parks and verges. Then they collect all (5%) the househould cuttings and have a skip at the tip for green rubbish.

All this is dumped in a big pile then turned over with a forklift then it all goes in a massive shredder then through a commercial compost maker. like a big tumble dryer. Then it is left to rot and mature.

Hi Sharon,
There's a difference between garden compost made from 'all kinds of everything' which is rotted down as a soil improver (the council made composts come into this category)and seed,multipurpose and potting composts which are made for seed sowing and potting on etc. They are usually made from sterilized peat,coir fibre or similar with fertilizer added.If they have loam added it means there is a proportion of sterilized soil added as well which can help with retaining water and giving pots a bit of weight.
It is really confusing that the term 'compost' is used for both these things,perhaps what we get out of the garden heap should be called soil conditioner or something.
Hope this helps,Carole.

Thanks Carole - you're right that the term "compost" was confusing me if it refers to differently created STUFF. I will still hang on to my visions of bucketloads of carrot peelings being saved up at Levingtons though...