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Sourcing compost and top soil donations

rickileigh73694rickileigh73694 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hi everyone,

We're setting up a community garden and are looking for compost and top soil donations ideally. Does anyone have any suggestions of places that might be up for helping with something like this? Or even small funding pots for community gardens? Thanks :)

Posts

  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Try your local council. I don't know about any funding but they might be able to help. They can normally provide compost through their green waste collections, some councils provide this for free but some do charge (you might get it free if your a community project).

    You could also contact the parks and greens pace department in the council as they can provide woodchips (as can local tree surgeons who are pleased with somewhere free to donate it) and perhaps other compostable material.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    @Fire is involved in Community Gardening.  She may be able to give you a few tips if she sees this thread.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I think it kind of depends where you are for soil donations. Websites like Nextdoor, Freecycle, local Facebook groups and Olio are can be great for picking up soil donations if you have a large group of people signed up locally. You do have to be a bit careful what you take as you don't know what's in it (like bits of bindweed).


    I agree about woodchip free from tree surgeons. The council might well be able to donate free greenwaste compost. It's also worth going along to your local independent nursery or garden centre and telling them you are starting a garden. They might wish to sponsor you or donate things.

    This is quite a good page from the RHS on fundraising. I would caution against getting too invested in the funding mind set - much better to do what you can with free and local resources. Funding applications and follow ups can easily end up consuming a great deal of time, focus and sense of achievement. Often when grant money ends a project collapses.


    Some councils have small pots for env projects and community gardens can come under that heading. It's worth seeking out local-ish gardening clubs and allotments and picking their brains. Research is all.

    where abouts are you?


  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    If you have any local brewers you may be able to get some free hops and barley which can be great for adding to any soil you already have. Our allotment gets some as a waste product for free.

    It's also worth contacting the local allotment as Fire mentions. Ours has a lots of offers because they can bulk buy from suppliers and they also regularly get surplus plants which are either sold to fund allotment projects or given away at the gate to the locals. 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    If you are in rural parts you might be able to source free manure rather than free top soil. It depends what you are planning to grow, but manure may be useful.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    Do you have any civic pride groups set up locally? We have compost bins within some of the parks/gardens that they tend to here.
    East Lancs
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    Try some local allotments. My daughter has a few bee hives on a local allotment, and she told me that they had donated stuff to a good cause a few years ago.
    Sunny Dundee
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    edited December 2023
    I agree with Fire, I would look for free sources of well rotted manure on local webfora - Facebook, gumtree, freecycle and suchlike - you'd need to collect it, but I think well worth it...
  • rickileigh73694rickileigh73694 Posts: 2
    Amazing! Thank you all so much for the suggestions! :)
    We're based in Wellingborough 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Please keep us posted
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