What should good shop bought compost look like?

Cos the sort I have doesn't look like the type Monty Don uses!
Last year I bought some economy compost for my seedlings and it was full of rubbish ( bits of plastic, metal, bark chips and fibres) I seived it and actually ended up with very little soil and a big pile of other stuff.
Last week I bought some dearer compost which was only marginally better. Is this normal ?

 

Yes Louise - its normal. Compost may be a bit different in France, but I suspect it follows the same pattern. I have often asked myself the same question, as I have friends who pay two or three times as much as me for compost assuming that it will be better.

I would start with - what is bad compost? I have only ever bought bad compost on two occasions and to my shame, both times it was the same stuff from the same place - Payless brand, which is the very cheapest from Focus. I bought some two years ago and although I always make a mix of two thirds compost and one third sharp sand and then sieve it, this stuff just would not drain. It lay sodden for days and my seeds rotted off. I tried some again recently, thinking that the original stuff must have been a bad batch - no one could actually make stuff that bad. But again it was the same, even when my mix had only one third new compost, one third sharp sand, and one third of last years used, but good, compost mix, it still would not drain easily.

To me, poor drainage is my main definition of bad compost. As far as all the large bits, you seem to get this with them all. For seeds and seedlings I sieve the mixture and most passes through the sieve, but always some won't. You can break up the leftovers by hand sometimes, but usually I just put it on the side and use it at the bottom of large pots, rather than putting in gravel for drainage.

 

I have bought cheap compost and ended up having to feed xtra , plus weed seeds etc just like you but I have bought the big brand names and the quality can be totally difrent from one bag to another I normaly go for the 3 get the 4th free , but depending what Iam growing I do tend to mix my own normalyy with John innes no 3 , but with my hanging baskets always multi compost and then I add the swell gel and slow release fertiliser so dont bother to get the compost meant for hanging baskets anway .
and yes the ones that have been made from recycled stuff are disgusting to use I have found
Spruce

 

Thank you. I have found that the fibres cause the compost to dry out really quickly and it all sticks together. I have tried soaking the trays from the bottom and that doesn't work very well, but to get the compost sufficiently damp enough for the seedling runs the risk of killing the seedling. I will try mixing the seived stuff with some sand.

 

Hello Louise
there have been a couple of threads on GC on compost quality. The general concensus for a good cost and quality multi purpose compost was Wickes and B and Q . Now thats not much use if you live in France ! Although B n Q do own a French chain called "Castorama" , though I doubt if they source the compost from the same supplier - but you never know. I think the best way to find a good quality compost is ask your gardening neighbours. " Ou-est le meilleur compost ?" :WINK1: I do hope your Francais is better than mine !

 

We have bought what we thought to be good stuff from B&Q and then have got it home and opened only to find it full of painted chipboard and other treetreetreetree that they add to it.The lost lot I wanted to take back and complain but couldn't get Mr Kandy to lift the heavy bag into the back of the car.:gaagh:Also I have found that the seedlings and plants don't grow that well in the stuff so this year we have paid more and got better quality compost so will see what results we get this year :D

There is a lot of truth in the saying that you get what you pay for :D