Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: robinaber on March 04, 2009, 13:27:51
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Looking for recommendations for compost and Growbags please.
Aldi are selling organic growbags at the moment (£1.19 each), also multi-purpose compost. Any thoughts on this bearing in mind that the cheapest is not always the best of course! Will hopefully have enough of the home-produced compost next year .....
Are there any other good offers around at the moment that members know about?
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whatever you do, don't buy Netto's cheap comost, it's complete cr@p. I posted pics in top tips, i was so fed up with it ;D
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I'd echo manicscousers but about B&Q's cheapo compost, tried some last year and is definitely not worth it. Have gone back to branded stuff now
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Tried Aldi last year. Rubbish.
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i use wickes brand compost with no complaints. i have also used morrison's from time to time as they are close by for when i have run out and don't want to make a trip into town, again no probs there.
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I'd echo manicscousers but about B&Q's cheapo compost, tried some last year and is definitely not worth it. Have gone back to branded stuff now
I bought six bales of B&Q compost last year for £30 (125ltrs each), used them in the greenhouse and in pots and tubs. No problems.
This year I have purchased four bales for £20 (150ltrs each).
I use the compost in pots, tubs and troughs, after that season it goes on the garden to breakdown the clay.
I sift the fine stuff out for seed compost and the coarse stuff I put in a bag for putting in the bottom of plant pots.
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ill agr4ee with larkshall i bought the same last year this year bought John innes what a difference much better cost a little more but wish my garden soil was this good its like a forrest meadow
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I think you only get what you pay for, so many stories of disappointment through buying cheap compost and growbags I go with John Innes and Humax
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Yes but which brand of John Innes....it's a number of formulations/mix developed by John Innes later John Innes Institute but it is sold by different manufacturers and despite supposedly following the JI formula they are not all the same.
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Yes but which brand of John Innes....it's a number of formulations/mix developed by John Innes later John Innes Institute but it is sold by different manufacturers and despite supposedly following the JI formula they are not all the same.
John Innes Seed Compost to start then i pot on into John Innes Potting Compost No 3.
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i checked on the which website and the seedling compost that came out best was B & Q
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We bought some compost from ASDA, £4 for 125litres, it seems good stuff.
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If I just want "stuff" that will hold a plant in place while I add my own feed, then B&Q, although at 7 notes a 150L bale it aint that cheap.
If I want quality, I tend to go for Levington Multi-purpose, at 4 notes for 75L its quite expensive, but the difference in plant growth is quite noticeable.
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Yes but which brand of John Innes....it's a number of formulations/mix developed by John Innes later John Innes Institute but it is sold by different manufacturers and despite supposedly following the JI formula they are not all the same.
I agree with Kea, which brand of JI do you use? On these forums I've read some pretty poor reports on JI composts. I've been using B&Q for years with no problems but maybe I'd have had better results with more expensive brands?? When you say 'poor results', etc, what exactly is the problem? There's so much on the market these days it really is a minefield of what to buy. I seive B&Q multi purpose compost and mix with sand and get excellent germination from seeds, then I use the same multi purpose compost for potting on with no problems. Should I be expecting more/faster growth from my seedlings? The question certainly is a teaser.
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I'm a bit narked with our local supplier to the Lottie shop, nothing wrong with the quality but they have upped the price and dropped the volume at the same time!! >:(
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http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,45701.0.html
this included john innes, as you can see, we got lots more than we bargained for, twigs, crockery, plastic etc ;D
I only put this on as Netto are still selling this :o
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I tend to use B&Q Multi purpose with out any problems. Although I do often find mixing it with a bit of John Innes and some vermiculate makes a really nice compost and my plants (especially my chillis) seem to love it so far.
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When I asked which manufacturer of JI I meant was it levingtons, gem, westland....JI 1,2,3 etc are the formulations developed by the JI Institute but they don't actually sell them manufacturers use their 'recipe'.
I use Westland composts including their JI composts exclusively even though last year and the year before my closest garden centre didn't stock this brand.
I tried Levington's/Gem...sorry can't remember which now ...JI2 and it was full of rubbish (like manicscousers stuff) full of twigs and seemed more like bark mulch. I should have taken it back but I used it in the bottom of big pots and put better stuff on top.
I don't have a B&Q close enough and I don't rate Homebase or focus compost.
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have tried Humax last year with good results they were75L this year however now 60L can get 3 bags for £11 pounds at small garden center nearby.good clean compost with plenty of additives
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Netto 99p for grow bags. Saw them when I got loads of packs of seeds for 19p each pack.
As we have a large garage, we always get our compost in Late Summer/Autumn when the shops/supermarkets have knocked them down to half price or less.
Keeping them over winter does more good than harm.
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have tried Humax last year with good results they were75L this year however now 60L can get 3 bags for £11 pounds at small garden center nearby.good clean compost with plenty of additives
I would want them to plant my seeds and cuddle them into hatching out at that price.
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Keeping them over winter does more good than harm.
most gro-bags have added fertiliser, this degrades over time, so, keeping them over-winter don't do them any good at all!! ;)
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Keeping them over winter does more good than harm.
most gro-bags have added fertiliser, this degrades over time, so, keeping them over-winter don't do them any good at all!! ;)
I will agree to that in fact i might even drink to it off for a pint .
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seed compost...year before last I bought J.Arthur Bowers...rubbish twigs/bark/stuff......never will buy from them again :-\ Same year I bought, sorry can't remember the producer, but someone's 'organic peat-free compost'..more spensive than most but hey! I wanted to do my bit. Another failure. Once dried out it formed a hard crust & water just lay on the surface.
So since then, back to my cheapo tried&true old ways. JI Seed compost is still on my Approved List & other soil for all my containers comes from cheapo 99p growbags I buy from my local greengrocer. I can't buy large bags of compost cos I can't lift them & don't grow in growbags, as such - merely using that compost in tubs. Works for me.
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Keeping them over winter does more good than harm.
I was led to believe that compost goes stale if kept over winter.
I chuck any I've got left in October over the garden and buy fresh in March.
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I can not find any dates on any bags of compost or grow bags so how does any one know how old the stuff is?
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I can not find any dates on any bags of compost or grow bags so how does any one know how old the stuff is?
Good point 8)
I routinely keep back 2-3 grobags from one season to start the next. Not noticed any checking of the plants I put in, and taking PH's original point, Lord knows how old they were even before I bought them ???
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I've used Erin's and apart from a few course bits in it, have been satisfied. Four bags for a tenner is reasonable (75L bags). Could do with some grow bags, anyone aware of any reasonably priced and fair quality near Heathrow or just north of it? :)
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I can not find any dates on any bags of compost or grow bags so how does any one know how old the stuff is?
ask your supplier??
seriously, you can usually tell (the plastic bags deteriorate / bleach), somewhere on the bag will be a barcode / batch ident.
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Waste not, want not, I've sowed some seed today in last years unused compost. If the nutrients in compost deteriorate with time, I should get a bumper crop of seedlings! If not, I've got plenty of time to sow some more. What did we do before garden centres :)
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I always use Lidl multipurpose compost - £1.99 for 40 litres without problems, But eading your comments I am wondering if I should go for better quality. Also, they do a peat-free compost - £1.99 for 30 litres but I am never sure what to use it for, what is the difference?
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Thanks to everyone for all the information and advice.
Weedgrower, do you know the full results of the Which test this year - the best ones and the worst ones?
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Lidl multipurpose compost - £1.99 for 40 litres ... peat-free compost - £1.99 for 30 litres ...
what is the difference?
Peat is the stuff that holds the water. Peat free = VERY well drained/poor water retention.
Peat free is fine for plants that like sharp drainage. For those that need moist or wetter growing medium ie pots, baskets, tomatoes, use none peat-free, otherwise water every five minutes. :(