Animal (poo) Dreams

are you a gardener frustrated by the lack of easy to get compost necessary to grow your toms, cukes, broc and corn? intensive planting requires a steady supply of goodness and making enough for one bed let alone an entire garden for a season means dedicating time and money toward collecting materials, compost pile construction and management. if you are looking for a poop connection and you are nowhere near horses, cattle, et al, sources from craigslist can help with free compost and affordable hay and straw. these last two have skyrocketed in price but keep looking until you find some in your price range. my chickens help out in the home garden but a community garden, unless secured and with caretakers on site, are not animal friendly places. being in the city look for neighborhood fertility options like krogers. i gave 2 garbage cans to a market where i lived and would pick them up every day filled to the top with discarded produce. hay mulch, alfalfa pellets, day-lay industrial chicken farm compost, cover crops and rotation have helped in the gardens i have planted recently but there is nothing like real compost from manure, urine, straw and time. as i meditate on next years projects and how to keep costs low and productivity ample i'd like to hear from columbus and area people who have a system, strategy or source ideas for soil tilth and plant happiness.