I bought 3 bags of 'multi purpose' compost from a local garden centre last week, and this week have been busy catching up on sowing and pricking out etc. I didn't buy my usual brand because the garden centre I used to get it from closed before Christmas... :'(. I was seduced into a 'buy 3 for £12' deal, and now sincerely wish I hadn't succumbed.
The quality of the compost is so poor it has caused me to ring the manufacturer and complain. It is a mix of reused materials (I'm guessing Council green waste), shredded bark with a bit of peat (yes I know.... :-\)
The first problem was the smell. it was like sewage, OH turned his nose up after I walked in after a sowing session and shoved me into the shower like a leper. Then there was the bark....now I can forgive the odd lump of wood and twigs, but 8" long near branches is taking the p***. Oh yes, and then there was the glass.....two shards of sharp mirrored glass that I almost cut myself on as I was trying to break the larger bits up into usable pieces..........NOT amused by now. Not to mention the strangely shaped pieces of melted rubber, nylon twine and bits of plastic bag......
So, phone good old customer services, who check the serial number of the pack (no date on manufacture discernable to the customer of course) which states it was made last autumn...so not old stuff then. Then they state it was 'normal' to have bits of glass in the compost as they have no method of extracting it (!), but admits large bits of branch is not right and asks for a sample. The smell? Well, apparently the heavy rains last year meant the composts got very wet and had to be dried out for longer before sale........ in the bags? No wonder it is rock hard and compacted!
So, I have dutifully sent a sample of the smelly stuff with another bag full of bits that came in it, and shall let them look at it........don't hold your breath!
Oh, and if you are wondering what type of compost it is.......it's J Arthur Bowers reduced peat multi purpose compost 70l size.....never again! >:(
Wow you would think that J A Bowers would be good compost!
I have bought some from Lidls and that was really awful ~ full of old bits of wood and and huge twigs but it was £1.99 a bag !!
Well I hope you get some good answers regarding this ~ keep us informed!
Duke
That's terrible! I would be tempted to contact Trading Standards.
I used J A Bowers multi purpose compost for years and thought it the bee's knee's then like you last year I bought the reduce peat type WHAT A LOAD OF CACK the only way to use it was to try and improve it so I added peat and John Innes and managed to get by with that but I would never buy the stuff again.
I go for Homebase's own brand - usually 3 for a tenner! Works for me!
Louise
get in touch with trading standards, I did about lidl's compost, see top tips, 'don't buy this compost' for pics , they took it up for me, doesn't matter how much it is, if it's not suitable for purpose, you have a case, as for glass :o
what happens if you cut yourself and it gets septic, you could sue :o ;D
Like PaulW, I had similar probs with J.Arthur Bowers reduced peat compost the year before last. Never again!
I kicked JAB in to touch years ago.
The batch of multi-purpose (Humax) I have this year is a bit on the dry side, but that could be my own doing.
I got it through the grape vine that compost was set to rise by a third this year so I bought it in last year and stored it .
I stored it under cover so that the winter weather would not leach out the ferrtiliser but in doing so it has gone a bit dry.
Can't seem to win can you :(
Just made around 300 litres of home brew potting compost this morning. Cheaper by far under £3 for the lot.
I'm addicted to the Homebase multi purpose at the moment, potting up for the plant sale ;D
I use Levingtons multi purpose - until this year I thought it would good stuff and my plants all thought so as well.
This year I have had to sieve it before use. Now the lumps are not as extreme as Deb's but much worse that ever before
What's happening to our compost? TeeGee is right, it is much more expensive this year.
Do you remember all that lovely timber washed up on the south coast beaches? The stuff they guarded with the police to stop us taking away and making good use of it? Well most of it now has been shredded, ground up and turned into compost, they chuck in a few twigs to make it seem like real stuff. That is where the stink comes from.
I was surprised how much JAB had gone up in price & down in size so I left a message on here about it. The lovely Manicscousers told me about Mother Earth compost made by Clover. I opened the first bag yesterday & was absolutely delighted with it. It's soft & crumbly without any lumps it has peat in it but it isn't taken from any sites of historical interest. Thanks MS. With delivery it worked out at £3 per 70ltr bag. It was from a company in Bolton.
Janet
If JAB have requested a sample then going to trading standards now would be hasty. Only go to trading standards if you are not satisfied with the response you get from JAB after they have received your sample.
PS - JAB do not get council green waste (not from their locality anyway) All the green waste in Lincs goes to two independent composters and then it goes to local farmers - apart from the odd bag that is distributed to people who can collect tokens when dropping off green waste at the local recycling centres.
PPS in my dealings with William Sinclair Holdings (parent company), they have never been less than exemplary so I should expect a satisfactory response in due course. Please keep us informed.
PPPS - some people will never be satisfied with peat free or reduced peat and would much rather destroy the environment than maybe suffer a slight disadvantage - this does not mean that the peat free or reduced peat should not be of sufficiently good quality though. Humax have a bad environmental reputation.
All sown and growing peat free with YHS this year and more than happy with it. Tried JAB last year and found too much rubbish too.
http://www.peatfreecompost.com/eMerchantPro/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=4
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/DSCF1649.jpg
Linda
i use wickes own brand at 3 for a tenner my only problem is back in 2007 i got three 150L bags for a tenner last year it was 80L for a tenner and this year its 75L a tenner :-\
a quid for 20 l from tescoos a nd good stuff
Tried Wilko 'professional with added John Innes and Organic Gold" (whatever that is!). Keep finding pockets of finely shredded material that looks like it might have once been a Christmas tree. But at least there are no large bits and you can dib your finger into the pot easily (ooer missus).
Wasnt too impressed with Wilko so bought some Gem multipurpose from a garden centre, thinking this would be better quality stuff. Not so. This stuff has random chunks in it, not sure if they are stones or just solidified organic matter, and you cannot dib a hole in it, it is like trying to make a hole in a pot of tissue paper. It looks brown and most of it is minced up small to fool people though.
Have now bought some Levingtons from B&Q, twice the price, havent used it yet though.
BTW if I found glass in my compost and got any hassle over refunds I would be emailing the local paper with some photos of family holding the evidence, and perhaps a toddler with some ketchup on their hand.
I hate using peat, and it's getting to the point where I'm thinking of going back to rolling my own. I used to use JI mixes, but with leafmould instead of peat, sterilised with Jeyes. It's just a matter of getting myself organised.
Interesting replies, thanks. I am waiting to see what the manufacturers say about my sample before anything else. As mentioned by Paul W and hyacinth, I have used other JAB products and not had problems before, but it strikes me that there are a few unsatisfied customers out there at the moment by the sounds of it! Finding the glass was the last straw for me, I was plain lucky it didn't cut me. I'll update you all when I get a reply! ;D
Why are we not using our own compost?
I have one of those messy heaps that looks like rubbish (raspberry prunings, old cabbage stalks etc) until you lift the top layer and find crumbling black delicious soil beneath. Have just done that yet again, and am spreading it thickly everywhere.
OK, it is not sterile, but it is free and plants love it.
I don't make enough for my plots and have enough over to sow seeds and pot on I'm afraid....and to be honest I couldn't be bothered with trying to sterilise it!
QuoteOK, it is not sterile, but it is free and plants love it.
Judging from some of the other posts on this forum, shop bought compost is not sterile either.
Quote from: artichoke on April 06, 2009, 00:07:15
Why are we not using our own compost?
I have one of those messy heaps that looks like rubbish (raspberry prunings, old cabbage stalks etc) until you lift the top layer and find crumbling black delicious soil beneath. Have just done that yet again, and am spreading it thickly everywhere.
OK, it is not sterile, but it is free and plants love it.
last year i generated my first lot of homemade compost but it wasn't enough to cover all my growing areas. this years lot i think will be sufficient started using it this week but my heap certainly doesn't get hot enough to effectively kill off all my weed seeds, so i use store bought for seed sowing and some potting up jobs. and last year i also made a concerted effort to not throw my flower seed heads into the heap, i added them to the bonfire heap instead, so maybe next years compost will be more weed free.
Quote from: Deb P on April 06, 2009, 00:09:55
I don't make enough for my plots and have enough over to sow seeds and pot on I'm afraid....and to be honest I couldn't be bothered with trying to sterilise it!
me neither :)
Just started potting up with Bowers compost and also found some glass and plastic in it. Rang the garden centre and they had never had anyone complain about glass in it before . They told us to take it back for a refund.
Quoteget in touch with trading standards, I did about lidl's compost
Your efforts may have paid off here, as I bought some Lidl compost yesterday and it looks OK at first glance.
Not as good as the Levingtons though, this is really heavy and dark with no large lumps.
Quote from: bazzysbarn on April 09, 2009, 14:06:23
Just started potting up with Bowers compost and also found some glass and plastic in it. Rang the garden centre and they had never had anyone complain about glass in it before . They told us to take it back for a refund.
Well this is looking more and more dire, it is not an isolated incident. I would ring the manufacturer (the phone number is on the bottom of the compost packet) and let them know straightaway. It will only be a matter of time before someone hurts themselves with the stuff!
I sent my sample of compost off to them, plus a bag with a collection of the various debris I found in it, I will let you know what they say when I have a reply...... :-\
Quite frankly, you are all getting what you pay for. The proper job compost would retail at between £12 and £15 a bag and you are not prepared to pay that much so you are fobbed off with bags of rubbish.
Have rang the owner of Bowers compost and spoke to their customer services. The lady was very helpful. We have to send them a sample of it along with the stuff we found in it when we get the envelopes they are sending us.
Has anyone had any problems with Levingtons or Erins multipurpose?
Quote from: Eristic on April 09, 2009, 21:20:29
Quite frankly, you are all getting what you pay for. The proper job compost would retail at between £12 and £15 a bag and you are not prepared to pay that much so you are fobbed off with bags of rubbish.
I do not agree. I have had perfectly acceptable compost from the same manufacturer for
less than I paid this time per bag before, it is the change in quality I am concerned about. Does anyone on here pay £15
per bag for their potting compost?!
oohhh! hahahaha, hehehehehe, roflmao *takes a deep breath* hehehehehe, hahahaha, 15 quid!!!
hahaha hehehe *wipes tears of laughter from my eyes* roflmao, hehehe saw him coming! hahaha.
Thats a 'No' Deb. 15 quid! NEVER NOT IN A MILLION YEARS! ;D ;D
Nobody would ever pay that much.
I use this 'Earth Matters' peat-free compost:
http://www.creativegardenideas.co.uk/3-bag-multibuy-westland-earth-matters-organic-peat-free-multipurpose-compost
It's rather open, loose and fibrous, so I mix it half and half with the general peat-free compost or gro-bags from Focus, just because they're the nearest large store to me. If you're used to top quality crumbly potting compost, you'd probably still find it a bit fibrous, but it seems to work fine. I'd increase the proportion of general compost for anything that really didn't want to ever dry out.
My only real objection to it is the preachy name. :D
Quote from: hellohelenhere on April 10, 2009, 12:05:45
I use this 'Earth Matters' peat-free compost:
http://www.creativegardenideas.co.uk/3-bag-multibuy-westland-earth-matters-organic-peat-free-multipurpose-compost
It's rather open, loose and fibrous, so I mix it half and half with the general peat-free compost or gro-bags from Focus, just because they're the nearest large store to me. If you're used to top quality crumbly potting compost, you'd probably still find it a bit fibrous, but it seems to work fine. I'd increase the proportion of general compost for anything that really didn't want to ever dry out.
My only real objection to it is the preachy name. :D
I have been using it for a couple of years and its been pretty consistent - its not perfect, but i have successfully germinated/grown a wide range of veg in it. You have to be a bit careful about excess humidity as it can get green mould on top - other than that I can't really fault it.
I've used this for the first time this year and got 4 bags for a tenner at Wyevale. Opened my last bag this morning and there was a live worm in it so that must be a good sign! It does need sieving if you're using it for seeds but I've had good results so far.
Quoteoohhh! hahahaha, hehehehehe, roflmao *takes a deep breath* hehehehehe, hahahaha, 15 quid!!!
hahaha hehehe *wipes tears of laughter from my eyes* roflmao, hehehe saw him coming! hahaha.
Thats a 'No' Deb. 15 quid! NEVER NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!
Go on. Laugh. I dare you! You silly girls are just emphasizing the point I'm trying to make. You are not prepared to pay the right price for quality so the naffia sell you bagged up Council waste. For the past 25 years the standard of a bag of compost has slowly been dropped to today's abysmal standard.
It is reported here that the makers cannot remove glass and plastic. They can if they want to, but not without adding considerably to the cost that you refuse to pay.
GodfreyRob says he has successfully germinated lots of seeds in it. Well let me tell you I've successfully germinated lots of seeds in soggy wet carpet but I don't wish to brag about it. You're paying for soggy wet carpet and I'll bet real money that if enough of you checked the bags thouroughly you would find some soggy wet carpet.
OK. My standards are way higher than yours but to be honest I wouldn't pay £15 a bag either. That's why I make my own. Making it yourself is not an option open to all but you should spare a thought to just how much time you spend modifying and sieving bought in rubbish and factor in this hidden cost to the purchase price.
Frankly I have no idea what Erisitc is on about. £15 for a bag of potting compost is crazy talk. I spend no more than £3 for 75 lt bag (Wicks or Homebase) and the worst thing I have found in it is a few bits of gravel. The results are great for sowing or potting on - I am perfectly happy with it but of course my standards are probably way lower than someone who thinks £15 is what compost should cost ;)
Please note that it is not me that is ranting about the state of the compost.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28
It is reported here that the makers cannot remove glass and plastic. They can if they want to, but not without adding considerably to the cost that you refuse to pay.
Most soil sifters are almost as fast using a 5mm screen as they are using the standard 50mm compost screens most companies use.
A product free of glass, plastic, lumps of wood etc... would not add anything significant to production time or cost.
Irrespective of the quality of the compost there is no excuse for leaving a load of rubbish in it.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28
Go on. Laugh. I dare you! You silly girls are just emphasizing the point I'm trying to make.
Silly girl? Made my day mate! Haven't been called a girl for many a moon! ;D
The point you
appear to be trying to make is that if we pay 'low' prices, we must expect rubbish compost. Not so. The point
I have been trying to make is that I have been very satisfied with the quality of composts purchased to date, all around the £3-4 per bag mark, and have had satisfactory results until this latest batch. The quality has markedly deteriorated in this last batch.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28You are not prepared to pay the right price for quality so the naffia sell you bagged up Council waste. For the past 25 years the standard of a bag of compost has slowly been dropped to today's abysmal standard.
As I understand it, the use of recycled waste has been introduced to try and reduce the reliance and use of peat stocks, which is an initiative I fully support. However, whatever I pay for a compost, I
do expect it to be able to do the job I want it to do, which until now has not been a problem. Regretably it is not that I am 'not prepared to pay the right price' for my composts, but I am certainly not in a position to be so minted that I can or want to pay top whack for something that I use a lot of over the growing season, or indeed with such high standards that I consider anyone not prepared to pay for the best (including yourself as you admit) as somehow lacking as a gardener which is what you insinuate.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28It is reported here that the makers cannot remove glass and plastic. They can if they want to, but not without adding considerably to the cost that you refuse to pay.
I have no idea if this is correct or not, however I was quoting what the customer service woman said to me when I rang and complained.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28GodfreyRob says he has successfully germinated lots of seeds in it. Well let me tell you I've successfully germinated lots of seeds in soggy wet carpet but I don't wish to brag about it.
Unnecessarily rude methinks. The debate here is welcomed, but debasing others views is not.
Quote from: Eristic on April 10, 2009, 14:26:28OK. My standards are way higher than yours but to be honest I wouldn't pay £15 a bag either. That's why I make my own.
Good for you! But the impression you are giving is that anyone who doesn't have your standards or time to do the same is a Muppet. I beg to differ meself.
I started the rant, and I'm very glad I did. One of the many strengths of this forum is that we can share information, ideas and views and I think it has demonstrated that my findings in this batch of compost is not an isolated incident. I welcome others opinions on which compost they have had success with as it helps me identify where my pennies are best spent! I think thrift and value for money still apply very much to the whole allotment ethos and I for one would not like to see it turn into a competitive oneupmanship contest!
How do you go about rolling your own, Eristic? I used to do it on a small scale, but I get through a lot more these days. The way I'm thinking now, I may make some up to approximately the JI No. 2 mix in the autumn, using leafmould rather than peat, fill a dustbin with it, water it with Jeyes, and leave it over winter. By spring, the Jeyes would be long gone, and I could see how far it goes. The mix could easily be cut with sand to make a seed compost, extra leafmould for woodland plants, and so on.
Found this on the WRAP website:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Introduction_to_BSI_PAS_100-20052.f3cd704a.2181.pdf (http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Introduction_to_BSI_PAS_100-20052.f3cd704a.2181.pdf)
See p.9 for the minimum standard for amount of glass, metal, plastic etc .
Can't see any mention of this standard on my Westland compost-wonder if any of the major brands meet it?
I use fertile fibre BUT i dont pay the 1 bag price
lbb
£15 or £3 a bag if it says compost it should be compost not landfill, theres definatley a trading standard issue here.
Im new to the allotment scene and never have been a big gardener but I wouldnt expect to shove my hands into a bag of compost and find glass or metal or anything that wasnt well Compost like!!! irrelevant of price. I always assumed that if you paid more for your compost it was better quality nutrient wise ect.
I am all too well aware that I'm poking a wasp nest with a short stick but wasp nests, sticks and boys all go together. If anyone has been offended then I apologise.
Baccy Man has pointed out that the techno how is there to grade finer but there is considerable added cost. If current compost were to be passed through 5mm screens a good percentage of the mix would be removed which in itself would up the price of a bag considerably, but also the waste created would either have to be reprocessed or sent to landfill with added cost.
How do I roll my own?
Ingredients: Garden topsoil, garden compost, sharp sand.
The topsoil I use currently comes from the waste from landscaping projects but could just as easily come from the allotment itself as it is not being removed from the plot. The garden compost I produce myself using the Moriati method, and the sharp sand is the leftovers in bulk bags at the end of a project.
Method:
First the garden compost is passed through a 1" mesh screen and stored in another container. Topsoil is treated in a similar manner. To make the mix I tend to use any suitable flowerpot as a measure to scoop material into a mixing tub. I use a ratio of 3:3:1 soil:compost:sand. The mix is then stirred up with a hand fork then put into store. Process is repeated till I get bored or run out of something. Later on the mix gets passed through a quarter inch mesh for seed compost.
Much of this compost does end up back on the plot as all the 2 litre pots of tomatos etc. get planted out, but all compost remaining in pots at the end of the season is cleaned up and reused.
The mix ratio can be amended to suit specialist needs or the variation in ingredients. I do not add any fertilizer to the mixture at all and find that seedlings have more than enough to last them the week or two before pricking out. Fertilizer is added to growing plants according to their needs later.
I've been using Homebase all-purpose for years. Th only crap lot we had was the Homebase peatfree stuff a couple of years ago.
Re: arthur bowers smelly reduced peat stuff!
Yes potted my spuds in that now removed outside as to smelly.
Look for Arthur bowers with sand added hard to find.
Or west+ compost reduced or peat free
Looking for some nice green fingerd females to chat gardening with 25-40yrs.
I can't manage to send messages on here please email me
{email removed by mod - best to pm it!}
I'm James 38yrs been working at a local college 20yrs as a gardener.
Have a nice garden you name it I grow it!
Cheers catch up laters
James
Quote from: hello on April 11, 2009, 07:03:10
Re: arthur bowers smelly reduced peat stuff!
Yes potted my spuds in that now removed outside as to smelly.
Look for Arthur bowers with sand added hard to find.
Or west+ compost reduced or peat free
Looking for some nice green fingerd females to chat gardening with 25-40yrs.
I can't manage to send messages on here please email me
{email removed by mod - best to pm it!}
I'm James 38yrs been working at a local college 20yrs as a gardener.
Have a nice garden you name it I grow it!
Cheers catch up laters
James
You will only get banned for spamming and trolling, this is not an online dating forum. Its about allotments. Ive come across at least half a dozen of your posts all about giving your contact details, reported to mod.
Have a nice day
Quote from: hello on April 11, 2009, 07:03:10
Looking for some nice green fingerd females to chat gardening with 25-40yrs.
I can't manage to send messages on here please email me
{email removed by mod - best to pm it!}
I'm James 38yrs been working at a local college 20yrs as a gardener.
Have a nice garden you name it I grow it!
Cheers catch up laters
James
:o :o :o what the!!!!! :o :o :o
I can see why you're prevented from sending messages! What would you do, spam every woman on the site?
Well that certainly livened the thread up, if indeed it required any further livening....I was interested to note on 'hello's first post that it is a different name that has edited it at the bottom......do you think he is trying to tell us something! :o :-[ ???
I'm too old for him anyway......... ;)
Ho hum, interesting someone else has encountered the foul smelling compost as well.
Interesting stuff from Caroline7758 about the WRAP standards for composts.......also can't see any mention of it on the JAB bags though, I wonder why.....?
I need a bag of potting compost to plant a few more FREE SEEDS. Why do I keep sending off for seeds, saw people refusing them on Gardeners World and was jumping up and down and saying give me, give me. Have sent off for the 5 packets, but I don't really need them. Now you have put me in a quandary, do I go to B & Q, Homebase or Morrisons. Have found Morrisons OK in the past and cheap. The compost the Council delivers to us free has odd bits of glass etc in it, and it has white stuff in it that smells and seems to heat up. I wear gloves when collecting it, some people swear by it, some don't. I got some because it was free and love anything for nothing. The soil in parts of my allotment is good but clay in others. I think the good bits are where the man before had his compost heap that he moved about. I have found that the big heap where I just dump everything seems to be doing better than by compost box or plastic one.
Quote from: Deb P on April 11, 2009, 12:20:47
Well that certainly livened the thread up, if indeed it required any further livening....I was interested to note on 'hello's first post that it is a different name that has edited it at the bottom......do you think he is trying to tell us something! :o :-[ ???
Impressivemarrow? Could that be our old friend Biggus Dickus by any other name? If so, I doubt whether anyone would be impressed by his teeny weeny.
OH bought me compost from B & Q, cost £6 for a big bag. Seems OK to me, no glass or rubbish and have just potted up a few more seeds.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 11, 2009, 19:03:54
Impressivemarrow? Could that be our old friend Biggus Dickus by any other name?
ImpressiveMarrow is actually the other admin that helps out when Dan is busy.
Quote from: Baccy Man on April 11, 2009, 19:52:12
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 11, 2009, 19:03:54
Impressivemarrow? Could that be our old friend Biggus Dickus by any other name?
ImpressiveMarrow is actually the other admin that helps out when Dan is busy.
So i put my foot in it as usual!
QuoteI'm James 38yrs been working at a local college 20yrs as a gardener.
Have a nice garden you name it I grow it!
Cheers catch up laters
Cmon now, show us yer willy. Cretin.
The bloke is a creep, he has sent me 2 emails - I know I was stupid not to hide it - Iknow that now. It has spooked me a bit tho - see Ok now I'm really not happy thread. >:(
Lushy x
Back to compost.
Borlotti, I agree with what you say here:
"I think the good bits are where the man before had his compost heap that he moved about. I have found that the big heap where I just dump everything seems to be doing better than my compost box or plastic one."
I've already mentioned my big messy heap, and it does seem to do better than the daleks. Also I move it about over the years because once it has composted down and I have dug it out, the soil underneath is rich and weedfree - even nettles and couch and buttercups seem to be stifled, or their remains are easy to pick out. I do prop some old bits of trellis round it to make it look neater, and stop it spreading too far.
I knew an old lady who was a fanatical gardener, and she had a gigantic heap sprawled over several square yards. When she needed compost, she raked the top off and underneath it was black gold. Everything she grew was amazing. She dumped garden and kitchen waste anywhere on it (possibly she kept new stuff to a particular end and I didn't notice) and I cannot imagine her going out and actually spending money on a bag of compost.
Id just like to say a big Well said to debp this site is for sharing tips not for WHOS PARSNIP IS THE BIGGEST stuff...hope i dont restart it :P :P
Having had 'multipurpose compost' which resembled wood chippings, which burnt my seedlings. I changed to another supermarket chain and got some wonderful stuff last year. In Autumn they were selling what was left off at half price and I got 10 bags, kept them in the garage and they have given me a great start since January in my seed sowing.
I discovered the original supplier buys from the firm who takes our local council's 'green waste'. Knowing as I do what people put in their green waste (let's face it, who checks?) Dog poo, litter tray contents, caged animal waste, all sorts, all mixed with grass cuttings and trimmings from hedges (some being pine which is known to be full of resin which burns plants). Also the weed and feed and the residue of all sorts of herbicides and pesticides. Road sweepings which can contain motor oil and gutter rubbish, it can all be in this stuff.
We should be allowed to know the source of the material in the compost we buy. Assuming that it is all made with wholesome green organic waste is as naive as believing in Santa Claus.
Firstly, Eristic >:( please dont ever refer to me again as a 'silly girl' that is patronising and insulting and as with Deb it has been a long time since i have been a 'girl' and almost as long since i have been classed as 'silly'.
Secondly, you stated that your 'standards' are higher than mine lol how on earth would you know? You have no idea what my standards are! Again very patronising.
Thirdly, YOU stated that "good" compost should be between 12 - 15 pounds not Debs or myself, and then you go on to say even you wouldn't pay 15 quid per bag. What a stupid throw away comment about costs in the first place.
Now rant over.
I'm lucky in that if I need any extra over and above the compost I make I buy quite good stuff, Clover professional 80 litres, from our allotment assoc. at 5 quid a bag. I have always had good results with this so dont feel the need to change.
It will be interesting to see how the makers respond to Debs in this instance but it seems there may be an ongoing problem with a few manufacturers.
Purpleheather, can you tell us which supermarket chain you use and whether it's peat-free?
:) I find Morrison's compost fine for home use , i don't have a car ,have to use a taxi to get my compost with my shopping :P
at the lottie we have someone who works at Sinclair's which is A J Bowers who when they have a mishap at the factory and mix the compost up incorrectly to the wording on the bags (are you still with me :)) he gets it cheap and we use it at the lottie and it's always been fine.
I'm sure they will sort it out for you Deb/ shades x
Got some multi purpose from Wickes - £10 for 4 75litre bags - seems ok to me - but what do I know I'm probably a silly girl too!! ;D ;D
Quote from: STEVEB on April 05, 2009, 21:23:42
a quid for 20 l from tescoos a nd good stuff
i beg to differ
use that stuff and youl have more weeds than ive had hot dinners
and yes i have tryed it >:(
master
allways good in the past lets wait and see
this could be the longest running thread in a4a history and ive been here for 3/4 years
:D :D :D
Quote from: lushy86 on April 14, 2009, 20:25:34
Got some multi purpose from Wickes - £10 for 4 75litre bags - seems ok to me - but what do I know I'm probably a silly girl too!! ;D ;D
I've just had some of that too and it seems pretty good..... the miracle-gro I got on special from tescos a few weeks ago seems to haver a bit too much twig for my liking.... I mix it 50:50 with JAB's John Innes Seed and it seems to get ok germination for most things though...
chrisc
No reply from the manufacturers yet, but as I needed to get some more potting compost OH bought me a couple of bags of B&Q multi purpose with extra JI to be getting along with.......pretty impressed so far! Good texture, pleasant smell and no large woody bits!
Just got hold of 10 Asda growbags for 50p each.Quite a few "woody bits" but I will sieve it and mix it with some mutipurpose compost to make it go further.
The growbags are being sold of from where a cannabis factory was found!!
Did they get a good crop using the same compost then....................?! ;D ;D ;D
A load of compost from a cannabis factory was just passed on to our site. I've got a couple of bags, but I haven't opened them yet.
Not that I'd know from experience but I understand cannabis really is a weed - it will grow in just about anything so long as it gets light.
I generally buy from Westland Multi from the allotment shop at the weekend but was short recently so got some Levington Multi which boasted 25% better water retention due to some change they'd wrought in the mix (the 'waterlock system'). It's good textured, evenly graded stuff, but no idea whether the water retention claim is true.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 16, 2009, 12:15:48
A load of compost from a cannabis factory was just passed on to our site. I've got a couple of bags, but I haven't opened them yet.
Wouldn't be surprised if it had a load of nutrients in it still, I heard they like to feed their investment!
maybe if the potting compost is really so bad we should all try hydroponics hehe
Been using Homebase multipurpose for the last few years, seems pretty stable, but I always add to it to make my own potting compost.
I have had some success with it, but have had to use quite a lot of fertilizer. Also all my cabbages damped off which I have never had before. But I have a batch of dahlia seedlings which are doing extremely well on it. But I do miss the Murphys which I have had for several years.
Perhaps it was not fresh and had got cold in the winter.
Received a letter from William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd today about the sample of glass/rubber/wood/compost I sent them.
"I do accept that you should not expect to find these items in potting compost. I have checked the code and know that regrettably there have been problems with some bags from that batch. The problems arose from a batch of composted green material from one specific supplier. The supplier on question had not screened the material to the specification required. As a result, we are not accepting any further loads from this source.
You may wonder why we are adding recycled green material to our compost. We do now have to add a proportion of non-peat materials to all or compost mixes to comply with government regulations on reducing peat usage, We use a variety of materials including composted bark, coir fibre and recycled green compost.
Thank you for again for letting us know about this problem."
They are also refunding me the cost of the bags, so fair enough I think.
Comments?
I'd rate that as a success... now how about T+M... those Sweet potato slips were Sh1te... I've lost all ten of the T65, 2 of the Beauregard but another two will probably go down... and None of the Georgia Jet (so far) at £1 each that isn't funny... >:(
Quote from: saddad on May 08, 2009, 18:23:23
I'd rate that as a success... now how about T+M... those Sweet potato slips were Sh1te... I've lost all ten of the T65, 2 of the Beauregard but another two will probably go down... and None of the Georgia Jet (so far) at £1 each that isn't funny... >:(
Oh dear, not T&M again!I feel another letter coming on...... ::)
I tried 3 unusual rhubarb 'crowns' from them a few years ago, received three of the tinyest offsets you could get, two out if 3 died but I did get a voucher replacement. not impressed though. :-\
I have been mixing recycled compost with normal potting compost to make it go a bit further, especially for hungry plants such as courgettes and tomatoes. Seem to be doing well. But it is growing some interesting weeds. No cannibis yet, but courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes are popping up regularly.
yes i agree the compost is crap, i bought the same and it is greenwaste! , fails to hold any moisture, but i have come up with a solution to this, i mixed with some sand and good old asda multi purp and came up with the (the-goodlife special mix)
plants have had a 100% better result :o,
lesson learnt i will not be purchasing it anymore
Have been using Westlands for a few years now ' with added John Innis '
-- good stuff but this year has more fibre in it ' straw like ' which tends to
make it drier -- hence more watering. Still get it 3 bags for price of two,
which suits me fine . Pay about 12£ for the three, not bad going really.
OH's lettuce crop has had to push through a ' crust' , still healthy seadlings .
My tomato ' babies' [ bit behind ] are thriving in it, so must still hold the
goodness '' it says on the tin ''.
Hope this helps,
floss xxx
I used Westladn lst year and almost everything I sowed in it died. Had to start again.
It had loads of woody material which grew roots, and started to produce green shoots. Came to the conclusion it was full of willow, which seems to be able to sprout any time any place any where.
Oh dear, sorry to hear that Digeroo, maybe the economic climate has made them
cut corners ! Hope not, but what do we know about what they are up to !
All a bit of a'' do and try '' excercise, hope you find one that suits your needs,
floss xxx
Quote from: saddad on May 08, 2009, 18:23:23
I'd rate that as a success... now how about T+M... those Sweet potato slips were Sh1te... I've lost all ten of the T65, 2 of the Beauregard but another two will probably go down... and None of the Georgia Jet (so far) at £1 each that isn't funny... >:(
Saddad have you phoned T&M. I have always found them to be very good when there is a problem. I rang them last W/E to say my begonia apricot shades weren't growing as they should & they immediately offered me a replacement. I asked for a refund so I could reorder online & get some frre plants as well. They were fine about it.
Janet
Digerroo, sorry - just had a senior moment ! ::)
Are you sowing seeds in compost ? What would be better is to sow in seed compost,
which is very fine and sandy, and will give them the best start. Pot on to compost
when they have thier second pair of leaves -- they should progress from there,
floss xxx
my T&M sweet potato slips last year were cr@p as well, rang and e mailed them, told me to 'wait and see how they go, they might pick up'..trouble is, you lose a full season..sorry about that, saddad, hope the others are ok :-\
QuoteOh dear, sorry to hear that Digeroo, maybe the economic climate has made them
cut corners ! Hope not, but what do we know about what they are up to !
They are trying to stay in business. I defy any person or firm to make a top grade potting compost to retail profitably at the price you demand. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with composted green waste but it takes 12 months to compost it to potting grade even with the help of tractors. Time is money (or in this case time is the inverse of money). A good potting compost will have some mineral soil content but that is not only expensive as raw material but costs extra for transport.
I predict that next year bogoff compost will have bold disclaimers warning about contents containing rubbish. This will be followed by warnings that the product is for garden mulch only and not suitable for greenhouse use. This will be followed up by stores offering rubbish at 3 for £15 or the real stuff at £15 ea.
;)
I get mine at Sainsburys. It is not cheap compared to many but last year in September they were doing a buy one get one free and I got 10 bags of it to keep for January onwards to sow seeds.
Ran out a few days ago and got one more because every where else it was woody and thankfully the standard is just the same. Sadly had to pay full price.
The packs are compressed hard like a sort of box shape, rather than as bags. However the contents has worked perfectly well for me once loosened and watered, it is nice and fine.
Hope they have the offer at the end of the season again. I shall certainly stock up and leave in the garage or greenhouse if they do.
I am also getting the bags from B&M which are a bit woody but they seem fine for potting on. I do my tomatoes in big individual pots, they have been in for three weeks now and are fine. About 2ft tall now. The cost of the B&M compost is the cheapest I have found and I would not use it for seeds or potting seedlings. Even though the pack says it is suitable. It is grow-bag quality to my mind.
The odd thing with the Sainsburys compost is, although all the seedlings are on staging when I re-pot or plant out those which have been in the compost for some time I keep finding the odd nice healthy looking worm in the compost. Yet I do not see any when I first use it. May be it contains worm eggs. Is that important?
Quote from: Eristic on May 08, 2009, 22:55:12
I predict that next year bogoff compost will have bold disclaimers warning about contents containing rubbish. This will be followed by warnings that the product is for garden mulch only and not suitable for greenhouse use. This will be followed up by stores offering rubbish at 3 for £15 or the real stuff at £15 ea.
You may of underestimated the prices, some places are already selling rubbish for £59.00 per 50 litre sack.
Ridiculously overpriced compost (http://www.kays.com/rf/kay/p.do/homewares/accessories/garden-equipment-accessories/miracle-gro-compost?A=5819587405784416599002).
Ooo err.
That's got to be a mistake, or has the cost of fertiliser gone through the roof?
Anyway, You have all got to get used to not throwing it away each year.
Quote from: Deb P on May 08, 2009, 15:02:39
Received a letter from William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd today about the sample of glass/rubber/wood/compost I sent them.
They are also refunding me the cost of the bags, so fair enough I think.
Comments?
I'd say you got a result - well done DebP
Quote from: Eristic on May 11, 2009, 00:02:05
Anyway, You have all got to get used to not throwing it away each year.
It never gets thrown away - just re-used in different ways :D ;)
Deb. I hope you have had your money back from them. They must be getting things moving as I emailed them last week after you posted who had got in touch with you. I told them I had found glass, wood, stones 7 plastic. I had an email yesterday & a £10 voucher in the post today.
Janet
No cheque as yet...that's what they said they would send me!
Sorry to hear about your problems with compost.
it is an unfortunate fact that composts do vary widely from brand to brand and even between bags of the same brand. you would think that with fairly uniform manufacturing processes these days it would not be the case but you are dealing with raw material that due to their nature can vary, particularly those used in peat free and peat reduced mixes.
This is not to say i agree with this or support compost manufacturers in any way. i myself tend to stick with one make of compost (independent local garden center's own brand - peat based). I am generally happy with it although on occasion i have had a bag which has given me problems (low nutrients or drying out too quickly). On the whole though it has been better than other brands i have tried.
I recently decided to try peat free compost and was recomended 'New Horizon' peat free multipurpose. I did a trial with some bedding plants against my normal compost, and was pretty impressed. it seemed to grow nice healthy plants (though no better than my peat one) had a nice texture and does not seem to dry out too quickly (in this slightly better than the peat compost).
I hope this helps
After complaining to sinclairs about the compost we got a £10 cheque a few days later. Yesterday we had a letter of an apology and another cheque! ;D We are now using Erin compost :)
Deb have you heard anything yet?
Janet
Recieved a cheque yesterday, it had been sent to the wrong house number and our neighbour brought it down to us bless them!
Glad it's sorted for you Deb. Don't spend it all at once ;D ;D ;D. I think we'll get bark with ours. We won't risk compost again.
Janet.
Me neither......perhaps there are some seeds I need to purchase........ ;D
OH has made me a seed box. I think it might need an extension soon. ;D ;D ;D.
Janet
That is why I have to have such a big shed......... ::) ;D ;D ;D
I've finally complained about the Sweet Potato slips, having lost 15/30... :(
8) 8) 8).
Janet
Quote from: saddad on May 17, 2009, 20:15:35
I've finally complained about the Sweet Potato slips, having lost 15/30... :(
Losing half is pretty shocking, I've heard others have had a similar expereince with this years slips (and worse losses) so I'd be interested to hear of the suppliers response when it arrives.... ::)
Good on you SD. Don't forget the postage if they offer you a refund & they were all you ordered.
Janet
Anyone tried Focus DIY's 'Payless' range of compost, in particular the multipurpose (50 litres for 2.89?). In fit of thrift the other day and needing some compost decided to get a couple of bags of this.
The compost turned out to be very coarse and could not be used for potting up small plants, prick out seedlings or sow seed, but would be OK for large containers or hanging baskets i reckon. Luckily the latter use is what i need it for right now but i do a lot of potting on of small plants to grow on as well as seed sowing and pricking out of seedlings so would either need to sieve it to refine it or use something else. In a moment of madness yesterday i spent a couple of hours in the greenhouse sieving half a bag of the stuff! Did produce a nice compost but an awful lot of wastage, plus the time and effort spent sieving damp compost. Frankly, life is too short, so will be going back to the normal stuff next time!!