Topic: Which Compost Brand To Choose: Erin, Westlands MP/Veg for Raised Bed?

[irridium]

Desperately need to buy compost for my parents' new raised bed (3m x 1m x .40cm) for this to be delivered by next week to their house in Leics., and have rung around various nurseries/GCs but it seems that these two brands are the only ones that are available and that are vaguely trustworthy (others were JI but that'll cost too much for 25l bags and the awful A. Bowers). Can anyone care to advise whether one of these brands is worth the money. Their main type of crops are Chinese veg - brassicas, melons, celery and aubs.

I've worked out that I would need 1200 litres, tho' someone let me know if my calculation is wrong ::) ::) ::)

Also, would like to know whether the bed would need lining with plastic, altho' it's treated decking timber. It's going to be sited onto a gravel garden (lined with membrane). Ours at home is lined with plastic and but not on the bottom is it's on concrete.

I know I'm being asking specific questions which some of you may not know, but as a non car-driver, I'm not able to buy and see the quality of the compost available, hence getting it delivered.

thanks

[Ellen K]

Hi - Are we allowed to ask your budget for this?  Because the delivery thing will make it a shocker.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360327272212&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

^^ Have a gander on ebay at mushroom compost and similar searches.

Compost bags often say 60 litres when packed so you might need a bit more than a simple volume calculation would suggest.

SITA in Lount (Ashby, Leics) sell their compost at £10 + VAT per tonne if you can arrange for someone to pick it up.  Which might not be as expensive as you think if your parents are nearby.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360327280527&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

A local environmental company (skip hire etc) may also deliver topsoil.

Don't know about the wood sorry.

Good luck - I would give them a bus pass to Waitrose myself.

[lewic]

The best compost I have used is Levingtons, its more expensive than some but you can tell its good quality. Usually 2 for a tenner at B&Q, not sure how big these bags are but they are too heavy for me to lift!

B&Q standard stuff is also OK, better than the other cheap ones.

[manicscousers]

We have a bloke who delivers top soil, £2.00 per bag or 40.00 per ton, got him out of the local paper, ex carrot soil so it's really good  :)
Is there no-one around who can deliver a load for you?

[ACE]

A friend of mine who has won loads of gold medals at all the shows swears by Westands. I would fill a raised bed with sieved well rotted from the stables which is cheap, sometimes free, let it settle, then top it with westlands, you will only have to turn it next year with no extra cost.

[Ellen K]

Sorry, my first post was rather abrupt, what I meant to say is that fancy top quality compost is not quite so important in a raised bed as say a seed bed and was trying to make some suggestions to cut the cost.

But I take my hat off your effort to give your M&D a chance to grow their food in a raised bed.  Hope it works out and doesn't cost you an arm AND a leg.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd use topsoil myself, rather than compost. We're not talking about pot culture, after all!

[goodlife]

Yep..I agree with Robert..to use multipurpose compost in large scale growing is not going to be succesfull. For star twith...it dry out easily, when dry and light lot of it can be blown away by winds, getting it wet again is hard work as it will cap and scrink from edges and water just run away from there...horribly expensive!
Buying some top soil in bulk is muuuch cheaper, it doesn't have the 'bad' properties of the compost. Once the beds are almost filled up, you can then add some medium..like compost or manure to make the soil mixture more 'richer' and more water holding. You really only need this medium mixed into top few inches of the soil..where most of the plant roots would grow... ;)
Like Manics said..you propably look for to pay around £40 for one of those 'builders bag' full of top soil...about ton.
The quality of the top soil will effect the price..more screened and added things into it will put the price up...but you don't need the pricey option. Get just 'basic' sort and do the 'adding' bit yourself..depending on the bed and crop it is for this year.

[irridium]

i agree with all of you who's recommending topsoil as the best soil as this would allow for better structure and water retention for the plants. but as a not-so-strong 41yo female w/o a barrow and time, it'll be far too much effort to get a ton delivered. I know, using MP compost isn't ideal; we've noticed that the MP on the raised bed at home (75% MP 25% John Innes no. 3) dries out far quicker than I would like. Thankfully, this year we have our lotti to GYO, so the bed is just for annual herbs that we're to plant out soon.

Hopefully, you'll understand my predicament with the task in hand. it's meant to be my surprise belated mother's day pressie for them for when they get back from their 10week hols.

[shirlton]

We only have 3 small raised beds and these are filled with soil with well rotted manure and old compost from last years pots and baskets added

[goodlife]

Ok then..next best option..how about trip to Wickes?...or order delivery. 4x 75litres of multipurpose £13 and 5x 25litres top soil £13 =500 litres = £26 ..triple that as you will need bit more than the calculation says as it settle it will compact and soil lever drops.
So 1500 litres £78 ...how does that compare? And their bagged top soil is screened, not stony or rubbishy. Compost is good for the value, I used both of them all the time to make my own "John Innes".. ;)

[irridium]

thanks for helping, goodlife. I have heard that Wickes MP has been raved about for its quality, but their delivery charge is £30, and my budget is actually about £70. I would of ordered thru' them for the compost if it weren't for their exhorbitant del. costs. >:( >:( The actual timber costs were £60, so with the soil added, it's a quite a bit pricier than my normall present to her!

I'm afraid, I'm going to have to make do from a local nursery where the del. costs are only £10 and having a limited choice on the quality of MP available. It's far from ideal, but I can only make do with the means I have. 

[Digeroo]

I think it must depend on the batch I had some Westland where all the liittle woody chips in the compost decided to sprout, so every pot ended up with a dozne little willow trees in it.

Many areas they deliver the recycled compost very cheaply.

[grannyjanny]

The list you have put, is that the choice you have at the garden centre. Do they have a soil a soil based one you could mix in as others have suggested? I had some clover MP compost last year & the year before, it was the best I've had.

[Hector]

Our local council sells what they call soil improver which is like a cross between really rich compost and topsoil. Maybe worth calling them to see if yours does similar. It comes in handle-able bag size.