Compost in Buffalo and WNY

I got a call this morning.
"Hi Matt. I'm starting to plan for the spring. Can you recommend a place to buy good organic compost?"

My answer:
"No such thing."

​I am asked this question all the time. The complication is the word "organic" and what would "organic compost" be?

​My approach to the word "organic" here is the same as if I was buying tomatoes or apples. To be an organic tomato, everything that goes into that tomatoes production must be organic. With compost, at least in WNY, production is always based on recycling "green" materials.

​So here we find our complication. Grass clippings being the primary culprit as I think, for the most part, we would assume any lawn that is having the clippings collected is a lawn being treated at least with fertilizer.

​At the same time, I don't use "organic" compost. Compost, amazingly, I find to be almost an object of religious contemplation. One needs to position their beliefs in a field of many possibilities. To me, any pesticide or herbicide residues would be broken down by the heat and biological intensity in the composting process. Therefore, my biggest concerns are what is happening in the compost and what its bacterial or fungal composition is.

​"Why is that most important?"  
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