[Caretaker]

I am in the middle of sowing my seeds in the greenhouse and for some reason I am not happy with the compost, it's the bags 3 for £10 from garden centres.
Most seedlings are coming up but the compost was all lumpy with bits of what looked like string in it.
I usually use this other years, but would like to give the potted on seedlings a good start in life.
What brand of compost do you recommen.


Would like to say I will be trying two idea's this year from the forum, one is the been supports and the paper pots.
Reg

[harrymac]

If you don't mind using peat, last year Which gardening recommended B&Q seeds, seedling and cutting compost for seedlings.

e2a: it's the seed compost I use and I've no complaints.

[zazen999]

Which compost is it that you are using?

[Growbag]

I've been pretty disappointed with the compost on sale this year too.   I bought New Horizon, Arthur Bowers with reduced peat and Arthur Bowers with added John Innes.  All of them have far too many large twigs in them - some of them still green.  The New Horizon dries up quicker than you can water it and what looks like grass seems to be growing amongst my lettuce seedlings.    The Arthur Bowers with reduced peat pongs of something I can't identify but it's horrible.   I wish I could make enough of my own compost but what I have made is a damn sight better quality then any of the stuff I've bought this year. 

[8doubles]

Some of the multi-purpose compost from focus last year was atrocious , lots of pieces of melamined chipboard in it and the plants did not do well.

Got a lot of cut price sainsburys compost at the end of last year and it seems to be fine. I always put the seed compost through the shredder to break up any lumps and it fluffs it up nicely to make it easy for those little roots.

[harrymac]

Which compost is it that you are using?

For seedlings I use B&Q seeds, seedling and cutting compost.

For larger plants I use Homebase multi purpose compost.

Which only trialled peat-free composts this year. The best was New Horizon peat free growbag. There's a thread about it here http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=33485.0. I haven't tried it myself.

[BigPaddy]

For finicky seeds I use John Inness, but it costs so much i am selective. JI keeps all the ssoil moist which is imprtant for some seeds which are small and near the surface. For bigger seeds I use general purpose cheap stuff. I would love to go peat free, but I find that the offerings currently are expensive and pretty poor.

The string type stuff is wood fibre.

BIG-Paddy

[richyrich7]

I started using wilko's but it's not much cop TBH bit too lumpy, then I bought some asda professional multi purp 2 x 80l bags for £6 and it seems pretty good stuff, so far I've been very pleased with it. Held my breath when I transplanted the toms into it in case it had any amniopralylid (sp?) in it but it seems fine.

[Elaine G]

I used the New Horizon growbags last year tipped into pots for my chillis etc.
It did not hold water very well and I had to water frequently despite the wet summer.
Have been using West(?) multipurpose so far this year and that is very fibrous too.
Might have to investigate Asda or invest in some John Innes.

Elaine

[peterjf]

try adding a bucket of sharp sand and 3 spades of sifted soil to it,

[zazen999]

Which compost is it that you are using?

For seedlings I use B&Q seeds, seedling and cutting compost.

For larger plants I use Homebase multi purpose compost.

Which only trialled peat-free composts this year. The best was New Horizon peat free growbag. There's a thread about it here http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=33485.0. I haven't tried it myself.

I meant that questions to the OP....

[Howard]

I popped in to my local garden centre on my way home this afternoon to pick up some bits and bobs and noticed that they have started to stock Vitax's Q4 Multipurpose compost.

Somebody (it wasn't me, honest!) had ripped a bag open, so it would have been rude of me not to have a look/feel and I have to say, it was absolutely beautiful - and they've got it on three bags for a tenner!

Howard

[FRUITFULL]

I got my multi purpose compost from Travis Perkins,Everythings doing well,it was cheap and they loaded the 75lt bags straight in the boot for me.

[philskin]

i always put my compost into the barrow 1st then add a bag of sharp sand and a bucket of water ,put it into the barrow so you can reduce the lumps then mix in sand ,get it well mixed then soak it all works for me good luck

[diggerjoe]

for seeds I've been sieving john innnes with arthur bowers multipurpose and the lumps get thrown out the door of greenhouse into the garden - had good results so far with everything germinating ummm a bit to well really so loads of spares for the neighbours - I was going to use asda's compost as last year it was good stuff but they have not got it in instore in coventry yet - told it might be in this weekend.