Bagged composted mushroom compost in Essex?

I'm after a recommendation please.
Last year I used rotted manure from CPA Horticulture on my garden and have been very pleased with the results.
I don't want to add more manure this year, but would like to mulch with composted mushroom compost, especially on the new borders I'm creating.
CPA advertise it on their site, however having spoken with them, they cannot deliver the rotted mushroom compost as their couriers refuse to transport it due to the smell (apparently). They will deliver the fresh mushroom compost, but I don't want straw blowing all over the place over winter - the very nice chap at CPA agreed this would likely happen unless it's dug-in - which is not my plan.
I see there are a few suppliers via Google, but would prefer a recommendation from fellow gardeners.
Can anyone recommend a supplier of good quality composted mushroom compost that deliver in bags? I'll be looking for about 2-3 ton in total (not in bulk bags) for me and my neighbours.
Many thanks
Pete

 

Used to get tons of the stuff Pete....there were 3 or 4 mushroom farms locally ....and it was pretty cheap too A lorry load for around £40 ....even free one year when the farm was anxious to clear it.
As a no dig gardener I applied it several inches thick....6 to 9" in autumn. A joy to work then in the spring.
Too far away to help you anyway but it is an excellent material to use.....not for ericaceous plants though of course

 

2-3 ton in bags, but not bulk bags.
How many bags would that be??

Surely no one is going bag it up into sacks, cant you get it in bulk bags and bag it up yourselves.
They sell it local to me in bulk bags but it aint cheap.

 

At first I had open lorry loads delivered but then it went to bags.....the bags the mushrooms grew in. I found this very convenient...clean and easy to lift and move. Average load about 4 or 5 tons.
Cant remember the number of bags but would have been a couple of hundred at least.....I know it took a couple of us with wheelbarrows, 4 to a wheelbarrow, several hours. Just piled them up in veg patch. From there over a few weeks they were spread around the rest of the garden.
Also mushroom compost has less chemicals....if any ....these days. Spread out in autumn they were thoroughly washed by spring.

 

I was under the impression that mushrooms were grown in beds commercially, might be wrong.

You can get it in bulk bags for around £50-70 a tonne here, more than I'm ever going to pay for someones rubbish they want to get shot of.
Likewise horse dung, they want 50p at least for a bag, well you know where they can poke that.

 

Think they were but then into bags....at least down here

 

Many thanks for your replies.
Hi Verd! hope life is treating you well and you garden is still thriving.
When I first moved here 30yrs ago I ordered a loose load of 16 cu metres of fresh mushroom compost. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when my driveway was about 5ft deep in the stuff, but it worked well on the garden.
A ton of rotted stuff is about usually about 36-40 x 70L bags.
As my garden is quite exposed to the south/west I do get the full brunt of winter winds etc. Last year I put down 4 ton of manure and the wood shavings blew everywhere including quite a lot in my ponds - which was not ideal.
Thanks WebMaster for your link - Southend isn't far from here, but the thought of several ton of straw blowing around the garden over winter doesn't bear thinking about, so I'd only consider rotted compost - hope you enjoyed the bonus oyster mushies.
So as rotted mushroom compost seems about as abundant locally as fairy dust, I guess I'll have to consider other options.
I'm on slightly acid clay here in Essex and having manured most of the borders and beds last year, this year I wanted to improve soil structure and thought that rotted mushroom compost would be the ideal solution.
Any suggestions as to what else would improve the soil structure as an alternative?
Thanks again for your help
Pete

 

Yes Pete mushroom compost would have been ideal on your acid clay . Shame
Does the council supply recycled garden waste? You need to be sure it is free of any "baddies" like jap knotweed. People arena always careful what they take to green waste!
Wood chips, bark chips from tree surgeons or council sources?
I will add 2 more compost bins here and check out a decent shredder. At least my own garden wastes' provenance are known and safe

 

Cheers Verd - I invested in 2 really good wooden compost bins last year and a Bosch AXT25TC which is excellent. I put several pyracantha through it and a year on the resulting mulch is excellent (and thankfully thornless). I've just harvested the first bin and it's lovely stuff, but no where near enough.
I've already re-filled both bins in the last week - so I'll get another add-on bin.
I wouldn't touch the re-cycled stuff from the council. The only things I put in the green bins are diseased plants, perennial weeds and branches too big to go through the shredder - and I don't want them back Anything worth composting, I compost!
I guess bark mulch/fines is a possibility.
The tree surgeons I use are nice guys and I'm sure they'd dump a load of chippings for me, but that's not really what I'm after.
I've just ordered 2,700 litres of farmyard manure with rotted mushroom compost that'll arrive tomorrow, so I'll see what that's like. The guy at CPA did say it's quite heavy and claggy, but there doesn't seem to be any alternatives atm.
At least I'll have 36 bags as a starter to barrow down the garden tomorrow, and then no doubt laid-up for a few days with a back-strain!
All part of the fun
Thanks again
Pete

 

I will check out that shredder Pete....thanks
Some of my mushroom compost has not been well rotted but I used it as a very thick mulch in autumn. By spring it was useable. Ditto loads of manure. It will break up over winter.
For what its worth, what you have ordered sounds good to me
Bit of back pain will seem worthwhile when you see it in your garden.....besides back pain will disappear :rasp:

 

I bought a shredder yrs ago, used it once for about 5 minutes and eventually gave it away - the noise was unbearable and it took ages to shred anything - it was rubbish.
I've never been disappointed with recommendations from Fred's Shed and he recommended the Bosch. Pricey, but very good (and very heavy).
Yesterday I took out an established buddleia. The stems were up to about 12ft long and some almost 2" at the base. Popped each one in the hopper without any cutting and within 10 minutes the entire shrub was turned to mulch and in the compost bin. It makes less noise than my washing machine too. I've had it just over a year now and I highly recommend it.
Will post an update on the compost tomorrow - back pain permitting

 

Cheers Andy - it's £80 inc delivery to me, which is very pricey for 1000 litres.

Unfortunately I have been let down on my delivery from CPA today.
At 10 am they said it'd be delivered between 1pm-4pm. I called at 4pm to ask where it was to be told it's still at the depot! Many apologies etc - it's now being delivered tomorrow morning - grrr