Allotments 4 All

Got my composting started but while I await sufficient to accumulate to be useful I've bought some 70l bags of ready made multipurpose compost from the garden centre just to get things moving.

Question is, what's the ideal amount to use?  i.e. how may square metres of newly cleared and dug bed will one 70l bag be useful for?  I guess the ideal answer is the more the merrier, but I don't want to be blowing my budget on the stuff so maybe the question is, what's a realistic max spread per bag?

thanks!

What type of soil do you have?

I never put multi-purpose or any other such compost on my soil (which is quite light).

I dig farm yard manure in in autumn.

If you soil is a bit on the dry side then plant your plants, give the ground a good soaking and mulch with the mulipurpose., but as Robert Benchley will say you are better & cheaper putting grass cutting on it.

Even then I would only put it (m/p) on plants that never wants to dry out.

Tell us a bit more about your soil and what you intend planting!

Not quite sure how gardeners class soil, but I'd call it sandy-silt.  Drainage is good.

Initially I'm looking to stick parsnips and sweetcorn in, with perhaps some raddishes and lettuces so that I've got something to show for my efforts sooner rather than later.  But so far I've only been able to get three or four hours in so have only cleared and dug one bed of around 10x2m.

If you have water at hand I wouldn't bother mulching.

Of the list you gave only sweet corn needs loads of water the others will manage on there own, perhaps the lettuce might want a bit of water depending upon the weather.

But then again as many know I rarely if ever water anything.

Si, I don't think there is much point in using your expensive MP compost in this way.  I use it for planting things in pots, I'm not sure it will do much to your soil.  Why not see how things grow this year - get what you can from it maybe with some pelletted chicken manure, & then look at improving it during the autumn & winter.  Like TG digging in lots of manure & maybe your own compost will be ready by then.  Good luck.

I use multi purpose for seed trays, tomato buckets, & running along a drill prior to popping seeds in.