Best supplier of compost 2026

Chance for you to diversify ?
He's made his pile, could it be your turn to make a pile too ??
(TIC)

 

This is what I used last year. For years I used Jack’s Magic and while this is not quite as good it is a very suitable alternative and vast improvement on many of the brands which no longer include peat.
This is used extensively by the professional growers.
I managed to get a distributor to deliver me a pallet of the multipurpose ( Clover do a range of specialist composts too). I shared the pallet with 4 friends. Getting the pallet at wholesale price was very reasonable and worked out at roughly from memory about £7 for 75 ltrs.
Only small snag is wholesale size is 75ltr or that was what I was sent and makes the bags a fair weight.
Definitely going to repeat the process again this year.

 

I think it might be a good way of buying it, I've always gone for the 3 bags for £xxx offers but one initial outlay could last me a couple of years, or maybe sell some off.

 

For outdoor pots I mix my peat free compost with GC bag of manure ratio 10 parts compost to one of manure. Helps to retain moisture. Plus some perilite.

 

This will become the norm in the future. According to RHA and RHS the number of nurseries in the UK has declined from 837 in 2000 to 541 in 2025, a decline of 35%. There are numerous factors but small G/C's and growers tend to be family run businesses. With the younger generation being brought up in a digital world, fewer are coming into this sector making it harder to pass the business on or sell as a going concern, with many citing issues with peat free composts as a factor as well

I expect the cost of peat based composts to increase this year, if you can get it. The harvest in the Balkans was down significantly in 2025 due to heavy rains and with the increase of exports to China many of the Balkan nations will have very limited stock.

According to RHA, peat usage in the UK is now under 1 million cubic metres, much less than the Dutch that still use in excess of 4 million cube but down on previous years as they have a mandate to cut the percentage of peat used in the horticultural sector but over a couple of decades.

Latvia alone exports roughly $70 million in value of peat to China with Estonia being the second biggest exporter to China. You could say the boom years of small G/C's and growers are behind us, looking forward, it's not a sector I would recommend going into, unless you do it as a destination. With the decline in small G/C's it makes it more difficult for a grower to sell their plants with a shrinking pool of outlets as they will not be able to compete with the bigger growers that supply the large chains and supermarkets of the world.

 

I use Clover, as @hailbopp suggested. It has peat in it. At the moment it's sold by 2 garden centres fairly local to me in South Norfolk. I'm happy with it.

 

We’ve used Clover compost for years. Love it. By far the best that we’ve experienced and always notice some difference when we’ve been forced to buy other brands or makes. Just hope our ( not so ) local garden place is still stocking them this year. I’ll buy them as long as available.

 

For gardeners in Hampshire: where do you get peat based substrates/composts? Garden centres around Portsmouth appear to go with peat-free composts. My nearest Poundland closed. The only options left are online.

 

All family businesses of a moderate size are severely threatened by the change in Inheritance Tax at the 2024 Budget. While it is the farming community who have made the effects widely known, it applies to all businesses with freehold premises of value. Thus farmers, printers, hotels, engineering companies, breweries, coach and lorry freight even funeral directors !
When you are able to choose between Amazon or Tesco for everything, how much simpler your life will be........

 

Clover seem to lack stockists in the South of England. Godwins at Mere seem to be thought to cover this area but have failed to respond to email requests of stockists.
How much do you, @Alisa , use? Perhaps a co-op purchase might work.
Personally, I have convinced myself that Westland 'All-purpose with Grosure technology' does all I need and is again available from B+M (Drayton/Havant) at £15 per 3 x50litre bags, New stock 2026 labelled on sale now.

 

I bought a bag of clover and 2 bags of pure peat online in the end. It's delivery that adds up on a price. It would've been so much easier to pop in GC, would get more for the same price. And delivery itself looks to be not that quick for bulk items. Looking forward to get my orders.