Once upon a potato farm...

For four generations the Conklin Family have been stewards to this farm & surrounding agricultural lands. Growing potatoes at the start like many families on Long Island and shifting along with the industry as the decades grow. In the late 80s the farm began a crop change by introducing ornamentals, deciduous trees and evergreen varieties; thus the germination of Hayground Nursery, Inc. Most recently, we have established ourselves as a composting facility by applying thoughtful & science based composting methods to materials brought to us from local businesses.

Clean leaf litter & grass clippings from fall cleanups become the base of our compost mixes. Leaf piles are nutrient-rich "brown" carbon sources & layering this material with nitrogen-rich grass clippings creates the ideal environment for microbes, earthworms, snails and other “forest recyclers” to help breakdown dead leaves into essential nutrients. By forming long, wide rows of compost base in autumn, the product has a full 6 months to breakdown before being moved again.

As snow accumulates over the winter on top of the compost rows & leaf piles, they stay insulated and the breakdown of matter continues through these colder months. Our already made topsoil and compost mixes are covered with tarps to prevent any loss of nutrients & to maintain the quality of material. The loading yard is generally quiet, giving time to refine recipes for the season ahead.

Although things slow down in ours & the natural world, we remain open daily with slightly shorter hours. The yard is available for dumping & taking materials. We are happy to discuss soil & plant material for spring projects you have coming up as well.

Trucks with sod strips, fill & brush start coming in as the ground thaws. Rows are noticeably smaller, due to the anaerobic (oxygen free) composting process that has been taking place all winter. We fire up our compost turner early in the morning & as the operator slowly moves along, billowing white steam escapes the compost rows. This is a sign of hot, active, healthy compost & is caused by resident beneficial microorganisms, specifically Actinomycetes. Actinobactera are nitrogen-fixers that thrive in woody conditions, breaking down cellulose & help to ward off pathogens.

Summer season means turning and rowing, turning and rowing. We stay organized to make sure each row is moved after the appropriate length of time for decomposition. Testing pH levels gives us the ability to adjust amendments making sure our product is more than viable - it's alive & active with microbial life. Our screening equipment can refine material down to 1/4” & 3/8” depending on the end product. Tailings, or the larger separated material from this part of the process is either added to existing rows for further breakdown or it is reincorporated to our nursery field as back fill and top dressing. Using the compost tailings in our own farm fields fosters healthy root systems for nursery stock.

Composting through the year:

Location & Hours

Monday - Friday 8am - 4pm

Saturdays 8am - 4pm

Office & Yard

24o Hayground Road Watermill, NY 11976

Office Tel: (631) 537-8599

haygroundhumus@gmail.com

Yard Instructions

New clients must enter the office to set up an account with us before being loaded or leaving materials.

Enter the property from the 240 Hayground Road gate and pull up the driveway past the office, make a left at the red arrow to park.

Staff is always in the office or already in the parking area attending customers during the busy season. If you don't see someone please come into the office or call the number on the door to be helped.

Tell us what you need to receive a ticket and we will direct your truck to the correct location to dump specific material &/or be loaded with requested materials.

If you would like to see our nursery stock we will happily take you in one of the all terrain vehicles.

*Client vehicles are not permitted into the farm fields.

Para recibir ayuda personalizada en español, por favor diríjase en persona a la oficina en "Hayground"