[TheOnlyGothInTheVillage]

Hi all, last year I bought my compost from B & Q, 3 large bags for a tenner, perfect.
This year, however, we don't have transport and B & Q don't deliver, Have been searching google looking for somewhere that will deliver, Wilkos do...but it's tiny expensive bags, Asda usually do a smart price small 99p bag that I can get delivered with my shopping but that stuff is, frankly, rather dodo, surely there must be somewhere that delivers....anyone have any ideas....?
thanks in advance...

[cityboy]

shopzill.co.uk online £4 for 70 ltre bags del free

[Chrysalis]

If you want a tonne or more in bulk bags try Dandy's of Chester.  They quote for one's postcode and we've had stuff from them with good results.  They supply in smaller sacks too, but the price goes up the less you have, if you see what I mean. They do compost and topsoil and mixed compost/topsoil (called Vegegrow).  We've no complaints, but it may seem pricey...

https://www.dandystopsoil.co.uk

Good hunting, C

[viettaclark]

I always use Garden Clever for a ton (metre cubed) of mushroom compost twice a year and I'm happy with the quality, price and customer service.

[compostqueen]

I got some big bags delivered by Wilko but that was last year. Have you looked on their website?

[shokkyy]

If you want a tonne or more in bulk bags try Dandy's of Chester.  They quote for one's postcode and we've had stuff from them with good results.  They supply in smaller sacks too, but the price goes up the less you have, if you see what I mean. They do compost and topsoil and mixed compost/topsoil (called Vegegrow).  We've no complaints, but it may seem pricey...

https://www.dandystopsoil.co.uk

Good hunting, C

I looked at their site and that's an interesting idea. But it's kind of difficult to make any price comparisons because it doesn't actually say how much is in a bulk bag, so it's not possible to work out how many 70L bags of multipurpose I'd have to buy to get the same amount of compost. I've tried googling to get conversions from 1 tonne or cubic metre to litres (assuming that's what's in a bulk bag), but all I came up with was a bunch of gibberish about volumes and density, all of which can be basically summed up as there is no answer to that question. But without answering that question, it's not possible to say whether or not those bulk bags are a good buy. Certainly the small bags are very expensive, at £5.60 for 50litres.

[Kristen]

I looked and got to the same calculation too.  If the bulk bag is on the same "compaction" as a 70L bag I get at the garden centre, then the bulk bag is 1,000L for £64.00 (including delivery to me, your area might be cheaper).  Garden centre is 3 x 70L for £10 - which would be £47 for 1,000L equivalent.

[TheOnlyGothInTheVillage]

shopzill.co.uk online £4 for 70 ltre bags del free-Looked but couldn't finds that offer, did have a look at the other link but thats way out of my price range, am looking to spend £10-15 so I can get enough compost to get all my seeds started,  I'd get a taxi to B & Q but i've been quoted £40 to get there and back because I'm in a rural location so thats a no no, I did look at wilkos (see eariler post...) But compaired to last years offer of 3 massive bags for a tenner from B & Q its going to work out quite expensive to buy enough compost in small 10/20l bags

If I sive it well, could I use garden mud for seedlings instead? I'm on stoney clay, I'm growing my own to save money so it would help if I can avoid spending money on bags of compost ...

[Kristen]

shopzill.co.uk online £4 for 70 ltre bags del free-Looked but couldn't finds that offer

That's a shopping Affiliate Site - aggregating offers from all sorts of people. I usually find them a waste of time - what you need is the site that they are pointing too. (I couldn't find the offer either).

If I sive it well, could I use garden mud for seedlings instead? I'm on stoney clay

Yes and no! Just using soil won't work well as a compost for containers. But you could make your own. I expect there is a good formula on the internet, in olden days folk used John Innes formulae.

http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/soil/john_innes/john_innes.php

but that needs Peat and Sand - both of which you would have to buy.  I expect it would be possible to use home made compost, and ideally you would make Loam (from turf stacked for a year), and that would just leave Sand.  Sand is quite heavy, so the delivery cost is a significant proportion of the cost, you could use Perlite instead perhaps? That's light as a feather when dry, and available online for not-very-much.

So I reckon a Soil/Loam + Home Made Compost + Perlite mix might do.  Just need a recipe

And some fertilizer - normally that is mixed in (using John Innes Base mix), but I don't see why it could not be applied as a liquid fertilizer from day one, rather than waiting 6 weeks for the fertilizer in the compost to become used up - liquid fertilizers were not around much (at all?) when John Innes formulations were dreamt up

Some useful recipes here: http://www.backyardgardener.com/soil.html

[stompy]

Doesn't your allotment association have anyone they use, a local farmer (etc) that will drop off manure?
We have one and it's £35 for a trailer load, and that's one big trailer, i would say around 6 to 8 cubic metres.
And it's good stuff, i will be getting a load dropped off on my new plot once im ready to receive it, and then another in July.

[Ma and Pa Snip]

Doesn't your allotment association have anyone they use, a local farmer (etc) that will drop off manure?

Sound advice stompy, but the question is about compost. Same principle might apply I guess

Hi all, last year I bought my compost from B & Q, 3 large bags for a tenner, perfect.

I have just checked and Blooms Garden centre Cheltenham will deliver. They have 60lt bags of J Arthur Bower's MP compost @ £4.99 per bag, 3 bags for £12.
Bad news is, £30 delivery charge so not worth it unless you want a lot.

Must be a garden centre locally that does deliveries cheaper surely

[stompy]

Ahh, sorry,
I was mainly looking at the later posts about the larger quantities and assumed it was for beds.
Now looking at the first post, it is just about a few bags.

TheOnlyGothInTheVillage, could you not buy a few bags from the allotment shop?
Or ask another fellow plot holder to pick you some up when they get their own, just give them a tenner in advance so they don't have to lay the money out?

[Casey76]

Have you got a shopping trolley?  You should be able to get a decent sized bag in there and pull it without many problems (a 70L bag is usually around 20 - 25kg depending on the type of compost).

[TheOnlyGothInTheVillage]

Hiya, don't have a alotment, just growing stuff in my garden, there are no shops within walking distance out here, I'm kinda trying to avoid dragging a sack home on the bus & lugging it back up the hill...
Theres a gap in the market delivering compost out here...

[Ma and Pa Snip]

Theres a gap in the market delivering compost out here...

Like I said, Blooms will deliver, at a price. I rang them this morning and asked.
is there not a 'man with a van' in your village that you can speak nicely to