[Lardman]

...and they either live or die.

That's not exactly the case though is it. For the past 2 years I've been struggling with poor, sickly plants as they limped along refusing to produce but staying alive just to spite me.  Even supplementing the compost with nutrients hasn't helped and the added costs negates the saving buying the budget stuff.

Yes an element could be my un-green thumbs  but not all.

It's beginning to bug me now that the garden centres locally don't at least list what brands they carry on their websites

[mrsbean]

Verve for me. sieve it for seeds, lumps and bits get bagged and put on raised beds. Otherwise fine for potting on and filling large pots and topping beds.

[ptarmigan]

Verve mostly for the past few years, with the odd bag of levingtons when can't make it to bandq.

[pigguns]

Verve as a filler for big pots and for potting on, Jack's Magic for seed raising   
I tend to chuck in a bit of FBB to the Verve sometimes as well.

[Plotmaster]

I've been concentrating on making as much as my own compost as possible loaded with coffee grounds, and shredded paper as well as green and leafs etc. B&Q Verve and CoCo Peat for the toms in buckets, sieved Verve last year for seedling was good but I have picked up 2 sacks of Westland GrowSure from TESCO for a £5 to give a try this year for seedlings.

I'm also recycling old compost as layers in the Daleks to assist in re invigorating it and as a brown layer every now and then.     

[meterman]

I am almost 100 % self sufficient in compost production my total spend this year on compost is 2x15 lts wilco sell off 20p each 2x coir blocks homebargins 69p each home bargains mass total £1.78, mixed this is my seed compost. Each year i empty my gh borders onto my brassica pea and bean beds then refill with fresh aprox 1700 lts

[Lardman]

I am almost 100 % self sufficient in compost production ....  refill with fresh aprox 1700 lts

I really have no idea how people can generate that sort of amount  after 2 years of chicken coop cleaning, garden pruning, plot clearings and lawn cuttings I'd managed a wheelbarrow full of what could at best be described as soil conditioner.

I stopped at a small independent GC this morning as well as the usual levingtons and westland offerings they had a pallet of bulrush multipurp which came out at 10p/litre. Thought I'd give a bag a go.

[3759allen]

last year there was a post comparing miracle mpc with another brand and i was impressed with the results from miracle grow. just brought 2 bags for a tenner, compared to other offers of 3 for a tenner not huge amounts more.

until last year i swore by verve (in 125l bails), last year it was awful (more like weed killer). i did post about the issue with verve last year and it seemed 50/ 50 on other peoples good and bad experience. i think depends which batch or possibly where different batches come from, i guess b and q get different people/ different branches of the same company to supply them but in the same bags.

i used to think that compost was pretty similar but for the small increase in price (considering how much is use) is worth giving the plants a head start.

[meterman]

Hi lardman my main supply are my chickens which are kept on wood chip which is topped up as and when available then empted once a year but everything i can get my hands on goes in cardboard paper nothing goes in the council bin if it has lived (except meat) i also have 13 dalek style bins which are full and ready for potting on, potato trenches etc and my 2nd 4x4 pallet bin is full and capped off (next years tom compost) which will have a pumpkin growing in it.

[Mrs Bee]

Verve for potting on and Clover seed compost from our horticultural society. 

Only tried a bag by chance a few weeks ago and it was gorgeous stuff. So went back for several more bags.  Not the cheapest but I think it was worth the extra.

[surbie100]

I am almost 100 % self sufficient in compost production ....  refill with fresh aprox 1700 lts

I really have no idea how people can generate that sort of amount  after 2 years of chicken coop cleaning, garden pruning, plot clearings and lawn cuttings I'd managed a wheelbarrow full of what could at best be described as soil conditioner.

I can't get to those quantities, but I have 330L of well rotted manure/compost in one dalek, 2 builder's bags of leaves (rotted from 4 last year) and a steady supply of spent hops from the local brewery. Am going to have a go at mixing my own seed compost from a mix of this for next year's seedlings.

[Tenhens]

Visit to our local garden centre today to get this years compost , intending to get some Jack's Magic after reading previous replies on this post. Two 60 litre bags for £10. However, after speaking to one of the staff and mentioning last years 'performance' with Verve.  He suggested manor Farm which was on 3 bags of 60 litre for £10.

Has anybody tried this one?

May go back and get some 'Jack's'  and do a 'trial' and see if there is much of a difference. 

[shedmeister]

I have used Camelot mp for the last four years (£11.00 x 3 80ltr bags from lotty shop )
Its the dogs danglers to say the least. Works with seeds,  potting up and as a good top dressing.

[sonnycbr]

Used verve for years and never had any problems with it. Just bought my first two 125L bales today and the first thing I noticed was the smell, it's like horse manure. I don't know what they've added, but it smells nice(if you know what I mean). I also saw the smaller bags at three for a tenner, only thing is, the bags are now 50L. I'm sure they were 75L a few years ago.

[Lardman]

Picked up 2 bags of Jacks Magic today just to pot up some root stocks -  I'm sold. It's lovely stuff; good smell and texture to it and after 2 bags I've not had 1 bit of plastic, log, branch or even lump of carpet or peat.  Hopefully the plants will like it as much as I did 

Not overly happy about the price especially as they didn't apply the multi-buy discount    I'll definitely be using less this year !