Always see these folks talking. About how you can get free produce from grocery stores for you compost..just go and ask em for the stuff they would toss out . Well was at the Piggly Wiggly and asked the produce guy and yeah no in the free thing . Said actually there was a lady who came by weekly and bought all of their toss outs. Sold me two banana boxes plain stuffed with old collared bell peppers and what not for $10 ...which wasn't. .. horrible I guess but egh. Y'all pay or they just give it away where you folks are at ?

Im no expert gardener but id think living on a farm you could find plenty of stuff to use for free.

the problem is that when they toss a lot of it , much of it is still actually usable in things like stews banana breads , and other things so they want to get something for it

so while some places do give it away

many have figured out some money keeps the free loaders away

pickle buckets and doughnut icing buckets , used to be free for the asking not washed out at all , then went to a dollar when they realized people might be collecting them all and saving them dumpster space but those people might be cleaning and re-selling them and making 2 dollars on each bucket.

People raising hogs were there first, and timely.

Not right now

Edible Arrangements throws out a lot of stuff.
Very wasteful process making fancy shapes for their gift arrangements.

This was my first thought.

Most Places wont give thing away here thought afraid of a law suit if people ate expired stuff. The ones that do give it away to shelters and food banks.


If your looking for good composer I will share my plan. I plan on making 3 bins with concrete blocks like like th mulch places have. 2 for current compost I can move from one to the other when turning with a tractor. One finished. Get chips from tree companies and truck loads of carp from fisherman or bow fishing tournaments cheap. Put down a layer of chips 6 to 12 inches layer of fish alternating. The high nitrogen in th fish will.be captured in the wood and break it down much faster.

Thats been in the plans for about 6 years now still haven't made it up the priority list yet.

There has to be horse farms around you.
I get old composted horse manure, that were bedded in sawdust.
It has around a 6.5 PH which is very good for most vegetables.
I get it already composted , about $ 10. a yard.
Many places will give raw fresh manure to you for free , they haven't figured it out yet, or just don't want to mess with it.
If you have a place to pile it and equipment to turn it over at least once a week.
Be ready for the garden in about 2 months.
Trouble is the weed seeds go right through the horses, and grow like crazy.
I use ground cover cloth to keep them at bay.
If you fill your garden in the fall, cover with a dark tarp, the seeds will sprout , and die off.
But if you turn the bed, more will sprout.
But if you just cover and plant down through the ground cover, you'll have few weeds to contend with.
I make raised beds 3 foot wide , and as long as there's room for.
That way, the ground cover covers the whole bed, and I plant through it ( cutting x's and placing the cuts back in place.)
Run your drip lines under the ground cloth , as new ground cloth will make water run off at first.
Then it will age a little and water goes right through it.
The manure has to be aged, and composted , but it does make very good garden soil.
It's not like it was around here as a kid, with a dairy farm every couple miles.
More like maybe 6-10 in the whole county now.

Dry leaves from the last year and green grass clippings is all I use for compost.

Write offs on taxes is why.


People mow their lawn about once a week, and if they have grass catchers, ask them for their clippings.
Used to have 5-6 neighbors that would dump their clippings in a pile in my back yard, would turn it mixed with weeds, leaves and yard waste, coffee grounds and egg shells , and other kitchen waste.
Would have about 6 yards of compost just from that.