Topic: compost

[persecuted unlimited]

Can anyone recommend a good compost? I usually buy miracle grow and j arthur bower to start my seeds off but this year it is awful and far to fresh to be any good, I will have to throw this into my compost bin and wait till next year before I can use it.

[steveg1966]

I have bought some wilkos potting compost and its been very good this year for a change.

[Hi_Hoe]

Ive never had any probs  with Wilkinsons own compost and its a fraction of the cost! 

[caroline7758]

I've been using New Horizon peat-free for a few years. I sieve it for seeds. What do you mean by "too fresh to use"? I didn't know compost could be too fresh!

[chriscross1966]

I experimented with a dual system this year, New Horizons peat free, pack that into the modules, sow seeds on top and then cover with a thin layer of John INnes Seed (JAB I think)... good germination out of seed that is for the most part a year old (cos bought in the 50p sakle last September)...

chrisc

[tricia]

I'm using Violet Farms MP this year - excellent results sowing pre-chitted seeds into a mix of 1/2 compost, 1/4 perlite and 1/4 sharp sand. I just wish the nights were a bit warmer so I could transfer the seedlings of tomatoes, chillies, celeriac and marigolds to my small leanto GH! I shall use a similar mix for the next sowings - French beans, sweetcorn and squashes towards the end of the month.

Tricia

[small]

I'm using bog-standard cheap B&Q Verve which is a lovely texture and judging by the way my tomatoes are zooming away, full of goodness too...but am I right in thinking that the likes of B&Q source compost locally, and just use the same labels nationwide? Anyway, the stuff round Derby is good this year.

[caroline7758]

I experimented with a dual system this year, New Horizons peat free, pack that into the modules, sow seeds on top and then cover with a thin layer of John INnes Seed (JAB I think)... good germination out of seed that is for the most part a year old (cos bought in the 50p sakle last September)...

chrisc

Is that without sieving the NH? That would save a lot of work!

[chriscross1966]

I experimented with a dual system this year, New Horizons peat free, pack that into the modules, sow seeds on top and then cover with a thin layer of John INnes Seed (JAB I think)... good germination out of seed that is for the most part a year old (cos bought in the 50p sakle last September)...

chrisc

Is that without sieving the NH? That would save a lot of work!

Yeah, I fish out the odd twig that's too big for the modules, but stuff seems to like it, not seemed to have a problem with watering or anything... The finer seeds might get sown between two layers (very thin) of JI Seed, and I surfaces-sowed some alpine strawberries expecting low germinationrates adn have thousands of the blighters to pot up now...I think plants generally like NH's open structure once they get going, but it's a bit coarse (and probably a bit fertiliser-heavy) for sowing... the layer of soil-based seed compost solves those issues....only got a handful of things left to do now.... assorted cucurbits (indoors this weekend outdoors in a couple of weeks) , french beans (lots of), beetroots, parsley..... more carrots, then the late-sowing stuff like maincrop carrots (toilet-rolls in 24-cell modules), fennel, chicory etc.....