Check out Tagro in Tacoma.
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/page.aspx?nid=306

You can read about the product there & click on the COST tab, or use this link. The price varies a little depending on whether you're a Tacoma resident.
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=687

I have a patch of 6' tall Salvia splendens growing in a bed amended with Tagro...altho Tagro can't take all the credit!

Doesn't Carpinito Bros. in Kent have compost?
I've heard of them, but can't speak for the price or quality.

I have used their Hi Alpine potting soil with reasonably good results.

i tried mix the soil with regular chicken manure compost which I bought in Fred Mayer, worked really well and not expensive. But my soil a bit too much clay, so I thought of ammending it with compost. Or chicken compost would be enough? Your thoughts?

Patrick888!
Tagro was my first thought but some people do not recommend to use it on veggi garden, they say it contains traces of medicine people used.

If your use is vegetable gardens, I wouldn't recommend this, but Sumner Grow is free. We've been using on our yard for a while now, and it's making a big difference. Use the free stuff on the grass, bushes, and trees, and then spend the money you save on something else for your veggies.

Lucretia1,
Thank you for your recommendation of free Sumner Grow. I've always been leary of buying compost especially what is made from sewage, but this freebie might be worth the gas & bother to pick up.

How have you applied & used it on your grass? We have a lot of shade, so despite applications of lime, raking moss, home compost, & re-seeding we don't have a lush lawn to show for it. Thinking this compost might help if we apply it 2x a year & keep at it for several years.

How have you used around shrubs & perennials?

How easy is pick up? Website said to make appt for a pick up load.

Is it fairly dry or wet & heavy? I'm thinking I'd haul in trash cans in back of Suburban and don't want to make a huge mess.

"The Bottom Line
⢠Ideal soils, from a fertility standpoint, are generally defined as containing no more than 5% OM
by weight or 10% by volume
⢠Before you add organic amendments to your garden, have your soil tested to determine its OM
content and nutrient levels
⢠Be conservative with organic amendments; add only what is necessary to correct deficiencies and
maintain OM at ideal levels
⢠Do not incorporate organic amendments into landscapes destined for permanent installations;
topdress with mulch instead
⢠Abnormally high levels of nutrients can have negative effects on plant and soil health
⢠Any nutrients not immediately utilized by microbes or plants contribute to non-point source
pollution"

Here is a link that might be useful: The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part III

"How have you applied & used it on your grass? We have a lot of shade, so despite applications of lime, raking moss, home compost, & re-seeding we don't have a lush lawn to show for it. Thinking this compost might help if we apply it 2x a year & keep at it for several years."

If grass doesn't want to grow in spite of your efforts, it's time to think about growing something else. Fighting Mother Nature is a losing battle.

Yes, grow something else or get a pole pruner or chainsaw and get more sun for your lawn.
I've had to make some difficult decisions over the years in my 30 year plus garden. Adaptation to change is the name of the game. A static garden is not realistic.
Mike