Best supplier of Compost 2015/2016

I have tried a few but always go back to Levingtons Multipurpose.

 

It's a funny thing, I've always found their Peat Based M/P to be among the better ones. Their Peat Free is rubbish though. For potting on, I normally use a 50/50 mix of MP & Ji3.

 

I think I tried that once, was full of twigs It seems to me that there is a lack of consistency with all compost types, but I feel more assured when it's not Peat Free. Of course, from an ecology point of view, using Peat based is less than desirable, but as yet I've not come across a good Peat Free.

Cheers...Freddy

 

I think on this is wait and see what they will supply I never buy lasts years compost .

Glad we have a review on here again it does help out big time with us not wasting our ££

Spruce

 

I use Arthur Bowers multipurpose because that is what my local Garden Centre Group (formerly Wyevales) sells, and they periodically have BOGOFF and I stock up. I buy in the Autumn as I find that the compost is better than Spring version - I suspect it has been stacked overwinter outside and bags [bought in Spring] are heavily compacted, and compost is often soggy .

But either way, I find it very variable from year to year.

I mix it with 10% (by volume) Perlite which I find keeps it open - otherwise with watering etc. it tends to compact in the pots and plants that don't grow away strongly tend to suffer. Note that the perlite should not be too coarse (the sort of stuff you get in bags at DIY and Hydroponic store probably is too coarse. I define the P4-5mm grade as too coarse, and the P2-5mm grade as ideal).

 

I splash out on a couple of bags of good quality seed compost each year costing around 25p/Litre, plus use Verve MPC bought from B&Q when they have a 15 - 20% off weekend @ 7p/Litre.

It can be a waste of time and money buying cheap seed compost and I use stuff that is a peat/soil mix as I've lost too many seeds when JI has clumped into a solid lump after watering. I'm not tempted to buy damaged bags of seed compost, anything that's been stored outside and would only use an opened bag from last year for the likes of beans or peas (mice have a habit of hiding all sorts of seeds in open bags). I find MPC good enough for peas and beans, but for smaller seeds it's worth spending an extra £5 p.a. on some decent seed compost.

 

I also use good quality seed compost , I found Westland Gro-Sure did the job well last year.
I use peat based multi purpose compost , never been brave enough to try peat free . I used to use Wickes , but last year bought B and Q verve for most of the season . I then found , at the nursery opposite the industrial estate I work on , Clover MPC an Irish peat based compost , its wonderful stuff ! Although I don't think it is too widely distributed .
I hope this years batch is the same quality and not full of lumps of wood and shredded plastic !

http://cloverpeat.co.uk/retail-compost/view/1/multi-purpose-compost

 

That's what I used last year. I spotted Tesco selling it for only about £1.25 a bag, put a few bags in my trolley, discovered it was really good stuff, but when I went back for more I discovered they'd trebled the price. I've still got some left




P.S. I'll fill a pot or two with that last year's stuff (perhaps with a few cress seeds), water and watch it in case it's gone off and goes mouldy. Best to find out before sowing expensive seeds in it.

 

I have a copy of the Which report & all the composts were used for seed sowing & growing on plug plants.
Interesting that the carbon Gold spokesman got upset because it's not for raising plug plants, it did badly for seed sowing in the trial as well.