Hi everyone, I've been using B&Q multi purpose compost & Grow bags for years very happily...they even got a Which best buy award in the past but this year they have changed to Verve compost & it is awful, really truly a waste of money, dusty, old crisp packet in one bag & loads of weed seeds (my seedlings grown on windowsill indoors were swamped in weeds!!!!). So I need to find a new cheap but good compost as I want to fill 10 plastic raised beds that are one foot square in size. The will be leaving my allotment & moving to my flat miles away from my lotty & I don't drive so can't transport the soil that's in them at the allotment at the moment -mores the pity as it is lovely soil. Thanks xjane
I believe ALL composts have gone downhill fast. So much woodchip I keep looking for assembly instructions ::)
It's a case of waiting to hear from those who have located a good one and going for that.
Cheers, Tony.
Thanks Tony, I'm finding that's the case with so many things lately...shops seem to want to keep the price the same each year so the quality deteriorates each year...sigh!
I have Wilkinson weed membrane from 4 years ago still going strong on one part of my allotment yet last years new roll didn't even last the Summer.
Jane
I've used verve this year and haven't found it too bad ... but agree with the general sentiment, quality of everything seems to be dropping :(
Hi Menttalot, which bag/variety did you buy of the Verve stuff?
Maybe I just got very unlucky with the bags I got.
Jane
This year I've used Erin and Clover and have found both of them to be very good. I do sieve them for seed-sowing and there are not many hard bits at all.
We sell them at 3 for £11 in our allotment stores, they are 75 litre bags.
Thanks Squash, I've not heard of these before so will see if anywhere nearby sells them. Jane
I used 3 75l bags of Westland at £12 for most of my pots this year, then got lucky with a special offer of a 70l bag of Erin Excel multi-purpose compost for £2 - actually got 2 as my friend didn't need her coupon. Both are really good - no debris or sticks at all.
Tricia
Since Wickes compost have been changed into horrid wood pulp, I've bough some Mother earth multipurpose instead..its made by Clover and quite good for the cheaper end product. I paid £3.65 for 75 litre bags in our lottie shop. We buy ours compost from Codnor.. http://www.gro-welldirect.co.uk/ ..their growell compost is really nice but bit more pricey too.
New Horizon is still my top pick but I did pick up a 120 lt bag of Homebase stuff which was OK as well - compressed but still good.
I use compost from a garden material recycling facility here in Sligo. It's brilliant. The workers brought me on a tour around several massive mounds of pulped garden debris, with steam rising from each as they ferment. Each is turned by a digger every so often until they're ready to be sifted through a machine and bagged, with any solids going back into the recycling process. The compost is rich, and my veg and flowers have reacted as if pumped with the stuff (which I suppose they have). It's good value too, at €2.50 for a large sealed bag, the same size as a bag of coal. Anyway, just thought I'd share. :)
Wehave a 'little green truck man' who delivers bagged up topsoil (ex carrot soil) for 2.00 per 75ltr bag, it's brilliant as it keeps the moisture in , have you got someone near you like that. Ours advertises in the paper :)
Westland seed and seedling compost, Westland John innes 1,2,3and Westland basket and container with added John innes......you'll notice I prefer Westland. That's because all the rest have let me down.
Thanks everyone for your replies, given me lots of options to explore. I was in Asda yesterday & noticed a large bag of their own brand compost had a tear in it...have to admit to having a poke about & it seems to be quite good, not woody etc. I would never have considered using a supermarket compost but may try it out. Has anyone used Asda compost? Thanks Jane
I was given two bags of JABowers multipurpose........horrid stuff again this year. It smells of sewage, had all sorts of mould growing on lumps of barely composted material, and full of bits of plastic. I have used it as a mulch in the garden and would not consider using it on anything grown from seed or in pots.
I found the Verve stuff very good so far, a bit powdery, but I mix mine with JI No.3 3:1 to give it a bit more weight anyway. I have used 6 bags so far this year and have not found any woody bits of plastic in at all...perhaps you were unlucky? ???
Ive been using Erin compost for the last 4 years,for seeds,potting on,and growing tomatoes,cucumbers in buckets,it is very good.Erin growbags are very good too,i grow my strawberries in them outside.
Hi Deb P thanks so much for letting me know about the JA Bowers multipurpose as I had that on my list of possibiles to buy in bulk :o
Good to hear you have found the Verve stuff ok, beginning to think I just got unlucky with the bags I got so may give it another try & mix it in the way you suggest.
Hi Daveylamp993 I'm trying to find a local supplier of Erin so I can try some out. Is it the multipurpose that you use?
Jane
Has anyone used Westland organic compost? Just been looking at customer reviews for this & all seems very positive. Its £6.99 for 60L so not the cheapest but if it's as good as the reviews suggest it may be worth it xjane
Hi there Crystalmoon,i get mine from a local shop,I'm not sure if you could get it in bulk,i get 3 x 60 litre bags for £10,i hope you can find some local to you as it is good stuff.
I agree about the new mix for the band q growbags much worse than the old stuff.
I bought wickes aldi and band q peat free all were just municipal waste with wood chip in it and not much use becuase they get so sticky. So like you I am also looking to find a decent mix amidst the rubbish.
Might try the ASDA next.
x sunloving
This year I have used a 50L bag of MiracleGrow, Grow Your Own Compost for £4.99 at our local Clockhouse Nursery, its seems very good and the very few twiggy bits it does have get placed at the bottom of the pot for extra drainage. ;D
Hi Sunloving, so sorry you are having the same trouble as me trying to find a decent compost :(
Cornykev thanks for the info on the MiracleGrow, will look into any suppliers near me as I can't seem to find any of the Erin.
xJane
Bought some from Morrisons yesterday , quite woody, had to seive it to sow seeds
I'm a Clover girl myself ;D, thanks again Manic. If you go to the Clover site they have a contact number & have several distribution depots through out the Country, one on the Wirral so should supply local places I should think. I've found it to be super stuff year on year unlike JAB, B&Q even with the Which best buy logo & a duff 3 bags of Erin last year which they compensated me for ;D.
i buy westlands multipurpose been using it for years no complaints at all its suitable for seed sowing though to potting on and at £ 10 for two 140 litres bags
I'm now seriously considering using grow bags to fill my 1m by 1m plastic raised beds as all my local garden centres etc won't deliver compost & I don't drive :-\
As I have very bad arthritis in my knees I just can't risk lifting huge bags into a friend's car so collecting it myself is impossible.
I haven't been able to find any suppliers where I live for a lot of the composts that have been suggested so far & the ones I have found won't deliver....it is becoming very frustrating to say the least!
Has anyone used Wilkinson grow bags before? They will deliver loads for under £5 & are only £1.48 each for 27 litres so a very cheap option. I was thinking of using the grow bag contents to part fill each bed then topping up with a better quality product such as Miraclegro (mainly because I should be able to lift the 50L bags in & out of a car boot)
Thanks Jane