[rogercr]

It seems to me that proprietary composts have seriously gone down hill since they stopped using Irish moss peat as a base. Goodness knows what rubbish and chemicals they now put in it. It possibly depends on what people and companies throw away in their 'green' recycling bins and that could be anything. I find it doesn't matter what brand I buy it's never consistant and yes it's frequently full of mold.

It often seems that the nutrients they put in are not properly mixed and I sometimes end up with a bag that's far too strong for seedlings.

Recently I jumped at some so called 'peat based' compost from Tesco but in looking at it, it appears to be the same as all the others with half rotten twigs and other not properly composted fibres.

I've complained to Westland and others about the poor quality and the fact that they do not put 'sell by' dates on the bags. Frequently I've bought stuff that, due to age, has no useful nutrients left at all and stuff doesn't grow. I've been informed by the manufacturers that there is no need to put sell by dates on as the nutrients stay good for at least a year - oh yer?

[Rampant_Weasel]

i always buy seed and potting on compost in the autumn when its on offer to use next year.things have grown fine for me.
i steer clear of supermarket compost tho as its obviously produced to a price like anything else ' supermarket ' - quality is of no interest to them.

[mumofstig]

i always buy seed and potting on compost in the autumn when its on offer to use next year.things have grown fine for me.

I usually get mine delivered with the coal order (same supplier for both  ) so, mine is old before I use it, without problems.
I'm not a lover of peatfree composts either, but as that's all we can get now, I'm gradually learning the best way to use what is available.

[Rampant_Weasel]

i find peat free fine for potting on, rubbish for seeds so still use peat for seeds.you dont use that much for seeds so i dont see the harm in using a bit - seeing as they are still using it in power station by god knows how many tons  i think preaching to gardeners about is a bit much.
i suppose if there was a shortage of compost a really friable mix of sand and light soil would be as good for potting on.

[BabbyAnn]

i steer clear of supermarket compost tho as its obviously produced to a price like anything else ' supermarket ' - quality is of no interest to them.

I use the ones from Asda (3 for £10 offer) and I've (touch wood) not had any problems with it.  As I usually grow tender summer crops like sweetcorn or squash in pots at home before taking to the plot, I always throw in a little chicken manure to boost growth but other than that, everything else has been fine.