There are so cities across the country offering free mulch, free wood chips, and treated bio-solid waste these days, that it almost seems silly to shell out $25 a yard for the stuff. Especially those of us with big gardens. A simple search of your local town {or nearest big city} and the words free mulch could save you big time.
Yesterday I stopped by TAGRO in Tacoma to pick up some FREE garden soil/fertilizer for my backyard garden plot. If you live in the Seattle/Tacoma area, this stuff rocks!
Tagro products are basically made from a blend of pasteurized wastewater byproducts called biosolids and other weed-free gardening components. Gross, I know, but would you believe vegetables and flowers grown in the TAGRO soil mix have earned more than 120 ribbons at the Puyallup Fair since 1992? Yes it smells {for a few weeks} and YES IT’S BEEN TREATED. LOL so the stuff is totally safe to add to your garden.
I first learned about Tagro about 12 years ago from my neighbor. She used it on her lawn instead of shelling out $30 a bag for fancy fertilizer at the big box store. When she first told me about it I was like no way, I’m not going to put that stuff on my lawn or in my vegetable garden… and then I tried it. And I’ve been hooked ever since.
When I had chickens, I used chicken fertilizer in my garden beds. But since we are without a feathered flock in our new neighborhood, I am back to using Tagro.
So if you live nearby, grab a few storage bins {or better yet, bring your pick-up} and go get yourself some free fertilizer. You can find the Tagro site at 2201 E. Portland Avenue Gate 6 Tacoma, WA.
Don’t live in the Seattle/Tacoma area? No worries. A simple Google search of your local town {or nearest big city} and the words free mulch should come up with something.
Have you ever taken advantage of a free mulch program in your area?
Mavis wants to know!
Laura says
Just getting started on my container garden planning. We have been overrun with bunnies so I am giving up on my square foot gardens (boo!) and am thinking of doing horse troughs on my decks (which are not reachable by wildlife). Where do you get yours? Prices on Amazon were pretty high so I was hoping for a cheaper (local even) source. We live here in Bellevue. TIA!
Mavis Butterfield says
I purchased mine at Wilco. I think they were $59 each.
Laura says
Great, thanks! I will have to go check them out. Haven’t been in one before :).
Mona says
What a great local resource for Puget Sounders. Thank you Mavis!
Carol says
We have a similar program where I live. I don’t have a problem using composted biosolids on ornamentals, but wouldn’t want to use it on anything I’m growing to eat.
kelliinkc says
I was chuckling reading this. Just waiting for you to get reported to the HSA folks for the stench coming from your yard!
Heidi says
Hi Mavis, I would be cautious about things like heavy metals in waste products. Locally, they are under allowable limits but it is obvious that they dilute the stuff with wood hips. Unfortunately there are still products like caustic drain cleaners in use.
Heidi says
Oops that should read wood chips, not wood hips!
Diana says
So…this is humanure? Are you at all concerned about all of the medications people take that could be in there or harmful cleaning products that could find their way back into your tomato crops? So this humanure also must contain remnants of all of the GMO and non-organic food people eat? Would that affect crop quality?
I’m interested in stuff like this… is it tested for things like metal or contaminate levels? Things like mercury, lead, paint, weird things people pour down drains?
Les says
I called them today and was told that i would have to pay for tagro. I live in Tacoma.
mike ferguson says
If you are a Tacoma resident and are NOT wanting the premium topsoil they sell, then the next grade of soil is FREE for pick up. delivery of ANY tagro product is not free.
Cheri Van Dyk says
This is so cool, a friend was telling me about this and I came upon this post. I am a beginner Gardner and am going to make a raised garden. Do I need to mix this with potting soil, or is this fine to use on its own?