Best compost to use

~Chameleon~

Lee_Francis wrote: »

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

Try Wilkinsons

Lee_Francis

Many thanks Chameleon !

Lee

quickstepqueen

I used Wilkos own brand sowing and cutting compost for sowing seeds and then their 15l bags of multi purpose compost for potting on and not had any problems. They do deliver (delivered my last lot...such a blessing, saved me so much back ache,) but I notice on their website they've sold out of those 2 items! Typical.

Lee_Francis

Hi again !

I just ordered 50 litre compost - wilko brand - 2 for £6 - and lots of other stuff
delivery £3.95

If anyone can make use of promotional codes ( thanks to hotukdeals .com )

.. .
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Lee

kb1977

I feel like an idiot asking this, but what is the difference between 'soil' and 'multi-purpose compost'?

Last year I moved into a new house and have never had a garden before and it was just full of old stones. I dug them all out and added bags and bags of multi-purpose compost from b&q, wickes etc and put some shrubs and bedding plants in. The shrubs have done well, and I've put some bedding plants in again this year but some of them aren't really growing. I do water them with miracle-gro.

The ones I planted in pots with new Gem multi-purpose compost are growing really well (the ones from the garden centre growing much faster and stronger than the tray based plants from B&Q as expected)

I have looked at gardening websites and it always talks about having the right soil, but they seem to refer to multipurpose compost as something seperate, or something only used for pots and tubs.

What do I need to add to my beds to make it into good 'soil' and make the flowers grow stronger?

Lee_Francis

I'm not a gardening expert by any means, but have a look at this webpage. It should give you a good idea of what is in what.

In my limited experience, I used to use peat - now an endangered product . . . although I understand you can still get it. Then I discovered composting, and for me, the best alternative. All different types of composts are probaly for serious gardeners -
w/e ones like me ?
My garden is lucky if
the lawn is cut,
the bugs and diseases are nuked,
the weeds kept down -
and once or twice a year,I have a spurt of buying plants and planting them with my home made compost.

The only shop bought compost I have is ericaceous (for acid soil loving plants ) as my soil is like most town-eez - stones, builders rubble and clay clay and more clay !

Rambling alittle, but hope that is of help


Lee

kb1977

Thanks Lee

Any tips on how to improve the plant growth? I suppose all the nutrients from the compost have been used up - should I make some compost of my own with old veg/paper etc?

olly300

@kb1977 This link may help you: http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenprimer/a/Amending_Soil_2.htm

Alternatively speak to one of your neighbours with a garden whose plants are growing well.

Farway

kb1977 wrote: »

Thanks Lee

Any tips on how to improve the plant growth? I suppose all the nutrients from the compost have been used up - should I make some compost of my own with old veg/paper etc?

The home made compost realy comes under the heading of "soil improver" it may or may not be full of nutrients, bit like the local council stuff, but always worth doing, every little helps

For this season I would get something like Wondergrow or Phostrogen, or Wilko own brand similar

Use it as a foliar feed [not difficult, just water the leaves instead of the soil]

You could also look around for tubs of chicken poo pellets, there were some in Wyevale, but I know Morrisons had them a bit since, no doubt they are in lots of places

Just sprinkle these around your plants and scratch them into the soil

Come autumn, start looking around for rotted horse muck [local stables maybe?] and spread or dig this in for the winter

PS the shrubs have done well because they have their roots down nice & deep now, the bedding plants are only shallow rooted into your exhausted last years compost

sb44

They have Miracle Gro All purpose compost on offer in Wilkinsons.e

I think they were 56l bags.

I think it was 3 bags for £12 instead of about £16 or £18, can't remember which.

Does anyone use this for square foot gardening?