[missmoneypenny]

B&Q, Wickes, Robert days etc have been closed since Tuesday the 24th. Seems you got there in time Dev.

[WeavingGryphon]

Unfortunately most garden centres are shut at present aren't they? They aren't critical and most of them have decided that they won't deliver as it's unnecessary travel.

Not ours as I said. Husband just got chicken manure about 30 minutes ago. The owner took payment over the phone put it on a trolley in the car park and Husband put it in the car.

[jambop]

The garden centers down here all sell a myriad of different small animal feed stuffs so if you do go the you think great be able to get some stuff for the garden... wrong nothing other than animal feed for sale 

[WeavingGryphon]

Have you tried the company that the site is linked to? Harrod Horticulture is still shipping some products.
https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/search.html?q=compost

The 6x chicken manure we got is £20 on amazon, which is £6 more expensive than a garden centre but one 20kg bag will fertilize 264 sq.m. 8Kg will do 110 sq meters or 132 square yards. It's pelleted for ease of use and limit mess. There's also smaller amounts as well if you don't need that much. You could add that to your dead compost or soil which is our plan. Amazon seems to be empting fast as well but there is compost.

If you don't want to go to the £1 shop why not book a taxi? Up here the taxi drivers are coming to your door, picking up your shopping list, buying your shopping and dropping it off at your door. Phone the shop and ask what is there so your not wasting money on a blind taxi run, then call a taxi and send them there for you. If there is a more out of town supermarket they maybe more likely to have items.

Have you tried a big gardening retailer or big supermarket that's out of the way? The problem is there are restrictions on essentials (Easter Eggs) and some shops will decide compost isn't an essential, it is up to their discretion so you'll have to move asap before they run out. We've got compost from both morrissons and Asda in the past 3 for £10 on big bags but they aren't getting more in-so I've been told.

Someone I know told me yesterday she'd been out to the most rural of supermarkets on the outskirts of the city because the big ones at the beach (Aldi and Asda) have had no meat for weeks. So they had to head to the out of town shop to stock up on everything as they'd emptied the house. But they got there at 6pm and there was loads of empty boxes so while they got something, it wasn't as much as they'd have liked. I don't know what time they went to the shop at the Beach, it could have been a case of her visiting after the morning rush when everything had been cleared but hadn't been topped up.

Modify Dobies online is that busy that they've had to shut down the site until 6am tomorrow. So yes, if your going for gardening website move asap in case they sell out.

[missmoneypenny]

Thanks for this. Looking at the Harod website, they are out of compost. I just have to hope that LBS delivers- literally. Some of the suggestions may be helpful to other readers, but I feel I have exhausted avenues here in south London, being without a car. There is absolutely no compost in any local supermarket, and all nearby garden centres are firmly closed. I’d rather not take taxis as I feel that is a contamination risk.

[polo71]

Shame you don't have a car, Just got 4 bags from my local B & M they had loads left and different makes and no limit to the amount you can buy. I got Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost 50L 2 for £9 They are also selling all there plants 50% off so got a few herbs as well plus shopping for the next 3 days.  One trip one shop and no queues only about 4 people in the entire sho.

Good luck with your search   

[WeavingGryphon]

Shame you don't have a car, Just got 4 bags from my local B & M they had loads left and different makes and no limit to the amount you can buy. I got Miracle-Gro All Purpose Compost 50L 2 for £9 They are also selling all there plants 50% off so got a few herbs as well plus shopping for the next 3 days.  One trip one shop and no queues only about 4 people in the entire sho.

Good luck with your search

We can't get plant pots and since they aren't a necessity so they aren't coming back into stock.
To save Husband the trip out of town to the garden centre we've been buying up over narcissus and hyacinths for 12p here to get plant pots. We are planting the plants in the garden not dumping them.
I am looking forward to the end of season sales.

[Ema]

I’ll admit compost was the 1 thing I stock piled in the weeks before this lockdown

There are often local compost suppliers too who sell on mushroom compost and composted green waste.

[JayG]

My local Tossco had some (quite expensive) 40L bags of MP compost, but thanks to their social-distancing one-way system I only spotted them on the way out, by which time I was frozen stiff having queued at 2m distance round the car park and then discovering the heating system inside the store had broken down. 

Bet it's all gone when I have to go again - if not I'll buy a couple of bags and mix it with last year's used compost to get me through this year if the situation doesn't improve in the next few weeks... 

[Gleavo]

Yep it seems to have hit the supermarkets now. I usually buy the peat-free from Aldi (and their chicken poo). They haven't got any in yet but I'm holding out hope...

[goose]

whilst I bought a few bags of compost and my tomato grow bags ahead of time as I could see how this was going , I have just spent the afternoon sieving compost from my 2 home compost bins. i did this mainly as i am going to need all the compost bin capacity as possible due to the size of my garden, however, the sieved compost looks beautiful....3 bags full

i was initially thinking of taking it to the allotment to dig in the beds, but am now thinking i may keep it to 'bulk up' my shop bought stuff with a bit of nutrients added.  this stuff has been rotting down for a few years and is mainly from grass clippings/leaves/a few bits of salad leaves, so im hoping nothing nasty could be lurking?

is this a good plan or are there some major flaws?

[mikem]

My compost contents are the same as yours although I also get horse manure with a fair amount of wood shavings but that helps with the grass clippings from a large lawn. I use my 3 year old compost in my tomato/cucumber/pepper pots, normally putting it at the bottom with added Growmore and if I can be bothered some bone meal then grow bag "stuff" on top. The reason for putting the homemade compost at the bottom as whilst it is pretty good there will, no doubt, be weed seeds as it hasn't been hot enough to kill them off.

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

I’ll admit compost was the 1 thing I stock piled in the weeks before this lockdown

Likewise! Having doubts whether I've bought enough though...

[Yorkie]

whilst I bought a few bags of compost and my tomato grow bags ahead of time as I could see how this was going , I have just spent the afternoon sieving compost from my 2 home compost bins. i did this mainly as i am going to need all the compost bin capacity as possible due to the size of my garden, however, the sieved compost looks beautiful....3 bags full

i was initially thinking of taking it to the allotment to dig in the beds, but am now thinking i may keep it to 'bulk up' my shop bought stuff with a bit of nutrients added.  this stuff has been rotting down for a few years and is mainly from grass clippings/leaves/a few bits of salad leaves, so im hoping nothing nasty could be lurking?

is this a good plan or are there some major flaws?

It is usually suggested that you shouldn't use home made compost in the initial seed compost, as it will contain pathogens that could well lead to 'damping off' of the seedlings once germinated.  Once the plants are more robust, the risks are far lower and you could mix as you suggest.

[Gleavo]

I asked today 'gardening stuff' is coming i next week apparently. This at least means chicken manure and compost. I usually buy their plug peppers (mine from seed aren't as fruitful) so hopefully they'll be in too...