Andrea Veilleux’s flowerbeds are her pride and joy. She makes her own compost to give them a boost. But she can’t make enough for her lawn, so she bought compost from a company called Cleanit Greenit.
After a few days, Andrea’s garden became worse, and there were large lumps in her soil. “Those lumps started drying out and got harder and harder to the point where you needed a hammer to break it… This (product) won’t do, this isn’t compost.”
The company apologized, removed the soil and gave her a refund. Cleanit Greenit says staff mistakenly picked up too much clay in that load and it doesn’t represent the company’s usual product.
But how does a consumer know what’s really in any compost he or she buys?
Global News Edmonton took six samples: the sample from Andrea’s yard, her homemade compost, and four store-bought products: Miracle Gro; Green Harvest; and two products from GroundsKeepers Pride.
The samples were sent to the ALS Laboratory Group in Saskatoon to test for organic content, and what percentage of the sample is sand, silt, and clay. While all components are necessary, Dr. Jim Robertson, a professor emertius of soil science, says you need the right balance for what you’re growing. “So much is going to depend on how it’s used. Is this going to be added to a garden that already has top soil, or is this to be potting mix?”
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Here are the results for the sand, silt, and clay ratio.
| Product | Sand | Silt | Clay |
| Cleanit Greenit | 52% | 24% | 25% |
| Green Harvest | 47% | 25% | 28% |
| Miracle Grow | 40% | 26% | 34% |
| GroundsKeepers Pride Composted Potting Soil | 33% | 36% | 31% |
| Andrea’s Homemade Compost | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| GroundsKeepers Pride Compost | 29% | 37% | 34% |
Dr. Robertson says natural soils in the Edmonton-area tend to be high in clay, so gardeners would likely want to buy a compost or soil that doesn’t have as much. “Not more than 20%. (Ideally, it should be) 15% clay, the rest is equal sand and silt.”
The organic content of our samples varied greatly.
| Product | Organic Content |
| Cleanit Greenit Naturemade Compost | 14% |
| Green Harvest Compost | 26% |
| Andrea’s Homemade Compost | 40% |
| Miracle Grow Organic Choice Garden Soil | 48% |
| GroundsKeepers Pride Organic Compost | 53% |
| GroundsKeepers Pride Composted Potting Soil | 61% |
Experts say the word organic has become a gimmick.
Dr. Grant Clark of the University of Alberta’s Agricultural Waste Management department says, “Somebody is free to label it organic, regardless of origins of compost and what ingredients went into it.”
There are federal compost standards, but Dr. Clark says they focus on public health and safety – not gardening. He wants the standards updated and more information put on the label. “Then producers of compost could adhere to that standard when labelling compost and then it would be clear to consumers exactly what they’re buying.”
In the meantime, for Andrea and other gardeners – it’s buyer beware.
The companies that make the products we tested all said our lab findings didn’t represent their usual product. The Composting Council of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are currently working to bring in new labelling standards and regulate use of the word “organic” for soils.
Here are some tips on choosing a soil:
• Look at nutrient content such as nitrogen and salt. High levels can have a negative impact.
• Check the pH of the soil.
• Talk to an expert. Visit a greenhouse and compare its products.
• Have your soil tested. There are do-it-yourself kits on the market. This will tell you exactly what you need to add to your garden.
© August 9, 2007: Global News Edmonton
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