Best compost to use

lynseydee

I need to get some more compost and was wondering which was the best to get. I need to use it to get my seeds started and for potting on. Funds arn't particularly great at the moment so need a compost that's not too expensive.

Walter_Ego_2

Hi

Do you have a re-cycle plant near you ? The type that deals with garden waste etc?
If so , approach them direct , and you should be able to get some cracking compost , at a very reasonable price

My local one is opperated by Biffa , try a search for your local one , or ask the bin-men ( sorry , Waste Management Consultants ) where they take it.

Cheers

Walter

A._Badger

I would recommend B&Q's multipurpose compost. It always seems to do well in tests and is well spoken of on this and other forums. I've used it for years with no complaints.

If you can't get that, J. Arthur Bowers is widely available and is also very good, I find.

Please don't confuse 'compost', as in the product of vegetative decomposition (ie what you get out of a compost heap) with 'potting compost' or 'seed compost' They really aren't the same things.

Hope that helps..

~Chameleon~

A._Badger wrote: »

Please don't confuse 'compost', as in the product of vegetative decomposition (ie what you get out of a compost heap) with 'potting compost' or 'seed compost' They really aren't the same things.

Hope that helps..

I've got a couple of bags of "garden compost" here, which I'm assuming is a soil improver/conditioner rather than a growing medium I can put in pots?

MookieSnuffles

Hi ya,
Just to quickly say one of my local tesco's is selling compost at £1.97 for 20Litres. Im not sure if its just at the larger ones or all of them though.
It is a peat reduced compost, not peat free whatever they try to insinuate, so it depends what your morals are on the subject, is that any help to you?

Mel x

Sorry meant to add too that "garden" compost can be mixed with regular shop-brought for your plants and seedlings and plants, or used to improve things like flowers beds and allotments or even as a lawn fertiliser by itself. xxx

Gardening-girl_5

If you use B&Q multi-purpose compost for sowing seeds, put it through a sieve first..there are loads of hard lumps and twigs that doesn't help the delicate roots..I end up having small buckets full of them, so its best to get a sieve first..even if it's just one of those small ones from Tesco's or the pound shops! You'll be surprised by just how much there is! B&Q multi-purpose compost has gone down a bit in my estimation...it used to be good stuff but i think it's got over popular and the compost is not composted down enough in order to meet demand.
Next year I'm going to buy Miracle-Gro, my son uses it and his seedlings and plants are far superior to mine!

A._Badger

I'd imagine it is just a soil improver, Chameleon, if that's what it's called. Not really suitable for pots at all.

Re Gardening-girl's comment about B&Q's compost, I'm inclined to agree that it isn't as good as it once was. I put this down to the reluctance to use peat. There was an excellent discussion on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time about this, just last Sunday and I agreed with Peter Seabrook - there really is no substitute, yet.

I'm still happy enough using it for this year (like you, I chuck out the lumps) but I may go back to Bowers next year.

One thing I would say about all the soilless composts I've tried is that none of the modern ones have enough sand in them - they are too claggy, which is why I often add vermiculite or perlite. The ones I liked many years ago seemed to be far freer draining, due to the inclusion of more sand.

Davesnave

Re Gardening-girl's comment about B&Q's compost, I'm inclined to agree that it isn't as good as it once was. I put this down to the reluctance to use peat. There was an excellent discussion on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time about this, just last Sunday and I agreed with Peter Seabrook - there really is no substitute, yet.

It varies. I buy up to fifty 150 litre bags a year and I notice quite a bit of difference between batches, but TBH I don't think the odd chunk matters, except in sowing mixtures.

Personally I'd never use any compost straight out of the bag, always adding soil, sharp sand and often grit too, depending upon what it's for. Also, B&Q compost only has enough nutrients for about 6 weeks, so in goes the Osmacote - I use 6-8 month formula.

As for the recycled waste, that's fine as an additive, but not on its own. I've used up to 50% successfully, and of course it is evironmentally good (as well as cheap!) to use it. Have to laugh at the supposed 'organic' accreditation for our local one though......I mean how do they know what's gone into it?

lynseydee

We had to go to B&Q earlier today for something else anyway so just ended up getting some of their compost.

Gardening-girl, thanks for the tip about the sieving. Will try and hunt out out a cheap sieve from somewhere. Could I put the twigs and lumps I sieve out onto my borders?

A Badger, never thought about differentiating between the two. Glad to know that I shouldn't use 'garden compost' to sow my seeds. My grow rate is bad enough without me making it worse by using the wrong 'compost'

MookieSnuffles, only go to Tescos to do a big shop once a month as our nearest big Tesco is nearly 20 miles away. Was only there on Friday night and never thought at the time about buying compost even though I walked past the stuff.

So when I eventually decide to either get a composter or wormery I should mix the compost from them with say the B&Q compost or use it to improve the soil in my borders

I'm still fairly new to this gardening lark and keep envisaging this fantastic looking year round garden, but like I said my grow rate and kill rate, as my husband puts it, needs to get better first.

Davesnave

So when I eventually decide to either get a composter or wormery I should mix the compost from them with say the B&Q compost or use it to improve the soil in my borders

Either, I'd just use the more sterile bagged stuff for my seeds and very small plants.

Things like tomatoes always seem better tasting if grown with some real compost or muck in the mix. (I put the manure, when I can get it, down deep because it usually has a lot of weed seed in it.) This is a subjective judgement though! Bear in mind with real compost that you'll always have the odd un-rotted tea bag, twig, etc in the final product, so it won't be as uniform as the stuff that comes in bags.

Lee_Francis

A little off topic but . . .

Does anyone know if any of the big chain diy/gardening stores deliver compost ? ( home made not enough and back problems etc etc )
Checked B&Q Focus and Homebase - no chance.
Or, can you buy instore at any of them and get it delivered at a reasonable price ?
Anyone tried successfully ?

Many thanks

lee