Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: rowlandwells on January 23, 2024, 15:30

Title: compost prices
Post by: rowlandwells on January 23, 2024, 15:30
I've started to look at what we mite be paying for composts this year I went online and prices vary from around £6.50 upwards for 40LTR to 60 LTR so basically for those of you that buy there composts through an allotment society or other outlets it could give me some idea of what to expect to pay for a bag of compost and what you rate as a best buy including quality and price any replies would be most welcome RW
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: GraciesGran on January 24, 2024, 06:53
The allotment shop has sylvagrow for £8.50, I think its 50 litres.  Sinclair is £12.85 for 75 litres.  We also do clover but that's a special order for one plot holder. We've gone peat free where possible although it's not necessarily been a popular decision.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: rowlandwells on January 25, 2024, 09:49
I tend to agree with your comments  GraciesGran I'm definitely not using peat free for the sake of it or to be told by other bods in need to use to protect one thing or another and apart from the quality of peat free and peat based cost does come into play because we are paying £17.00 for 3 60LTR bags of clover M/P that I think is good value and its good compost for both seeding and potting on  so why should I change to something that's not up to my standards ?
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: Snow on January 25, 2024, 11:53
I got reduced compost from morrisons last November . was £3 for 40l ? of new horizon, so I bought quite a few bags, and i also picked up some of their 70l bales of coir for £2.50 each. I'll need to add compost, fertilizer and perlite or vermiculite to that to make it useable but its a good price for it and is a good replacement for peat based composts

The allotment forum here sells sylvagrow 40l for £12.50 which is just too much for me.

Covid era peat free really was the worst, but I think it got a bit better last year, I had bowers, Jack's magic and new horizon last year and it was all useable. The premium stuff like sylvagrow and dalefoot is very good when I've bought them in the past.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: rowlandwells on January 25, 2024, 16:02
I'm not really one for adding this and that for making compost as I've said in the past is all I want is a bag of good quality M/P compost at a competitive price not had good feed back from those using coir as they say it tends to dry out quick more than peat based ?

Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: coldandwindy on January 25, 2024, 21:50
Has anyone tried Miracle gro peat free?
I saw some for sale & notice it's a lot cheaper than the original m.g, which I like.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: rowlandwells on January 26, 2024, 08:57
when we went to Dobies the other day and  I noticed they where selling compost at £3.00 a bag I don't know what brand it was  I was going to buy a bag but it was so cold that day it had frozen the bags together on the pallet so I didn't buy any but if its there  when we go again I'm going to buy a bag just to see what its like
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: AnneB on February 01, 2024, 20:09
If you are near an RHS garden they currently have Sylvagrow peat free multipurpose 40l bags on a special offer, 4 bags for the price of 3.  Works out at £7 a bag.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: rowlandwells on February 07, 2024, 17:17
that price is still higher than I'm paying now AnneB 3 bags of 60ltr for £17.00 quid  probably this will rise when they get new stock in so we really need to shop around for the best compost for both quality and price some compost manufacturers are calling for standard regulations to ensure basically a standard of quality composts is sold to the home gardener said to be named [RSS] responsible sourcing scheme as reported in Which garden mag February issue
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: AnneB on February 07, 2024, 18:11
I visited our local trade supplier this week to get prices for our allotment.   We give each tenant 2 free bags of compost each year but buy more to sell to recoup some of our costs.   We are too small to have an allotment shop in the usual sense.
This year we have chosen to buy Miracle Gro peat free in 50l bags.   We will be selling this on to our tenants for around £7 a bag, which is cheaper than B&Q who are selling it for £8.   We will make a small amount of profit on each bag after delivery costs are taken into account.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: coldandwindy on February 08, 2024, 08:22
I visited our local trade supplier this week to get prices for our allotment.   We give each tenant 2 free bags of compost each year but buy more to sell to recoup some of our costs.   We are too small to have an allotment shop in the usual sense.
This year we have chosen to buy Miracle Gro peat free in 50l bags.   We will be selling this on to our tenants for around £7 a bag, which is cheaper than B&Q who are selling it for £8.   We will make a small amount of profit on each bag after delivery costs are taken into account.
Have you used the Mg peat free before AnneB ?
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: AnneB on February 08, 2024, 08:46
I visited our local trade supplier this week to get prices for our allotment.   We give each tenant 2 free bags of compost each year but buy more to sell to recoup some of our costs.   We are too small to have an allotment shop in the usual sense.
This year we have chosen to buy Miracle Gro peat free in 50l bags.   We will be selling this on to our tenants for around £7 a bag, which is cheaper than B&Q who are selling it for £8.   We will make a small amount of profit on each bag after delivery costs are taken into account.
Have you used the Mg peat free before AnneB ?
No we haven't.  Last year our supplier got us Happy peat free compost. He recommended it and it was very good but sadly no longer in production.  We had a choice of the Miracle Gro or Sylvagrow this year.  He said both were good.  The Allotment Society has gone with Miracle Gro as the more economical choice, especially as we are providing 2 free bags per plot.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: Benny130 on February 09, 2024, 14:28
I tend to work on if any can be bought for close to £0.10 a litre its worth getting as much as you can
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: AndyRVTR on February 09, 2024, 14:44
I noticed Homebargains had Levingtons multi purpose compost in yesterday 40ltr bags for £3.49 iirc!
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: coldandwindy on February 10, 2024, 10:45
Homebase have their own make at 3 for £12. No idea what it's like though!

Anyone know who makes it for them?
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: AndyRVTR on February 20, 2024, 18:50
I bought my compost this afternoon 10 x 50ltr bags of peat free 'miracle grow', £4.99 a bag at homebargains.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: vikingraider on March 11, 2024, 16:55
I bought some 'Erin' compost yesterday from the garden centre 3x50l bags for £15. It's the only one that didnt say peat free. Has anyone used that brand before?
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: GraciesGran on March 25, 2024, 09:46
Homebase have their own make at 3 for £12. No idea what it's like though!

Anyone know who makes it for them?

I bought some of this last year and it wasn't bad.

Allotment shop now stocking locally produced compost at £5.25 for a 40 litres bag, proving very popular,mushroom compost being delivered next week but no idea of cost yet.
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: muckyboots on April 09, 2024, 11:34
I'v used Erin Viking for the same reason not peat free, it was on offer so bought 6 bags for about £25 . it's a not too bad a bit coarse with wood chips which i filter out We all need a quality affordable peat free compost ,but i do think some suppliers are taking the micky with peat free prices .
Title: Re: compost prices
Post by: Snow on April 09, 2024, 22:48
I put mice I catch in the compost. I'd probably smash up bigger bones before putting them in,my piles aren't that big