Can I re use compost?

Yes this topic often comes up. You need to bear in mind that it will have had all the nutrients used up and need feeding. Potstubsdustbins is the expert on here for container growing, perhaps he'll pop along later. Try to remove as much of the old roots as possible. The only time I would hesitate about reusing compost is if I have had vine weevils in there but I've sieved out larvae before now.

Im just planting up my tubs as we speak that has 3 year old compost in. I just fluff it up, add a couple of handfuls of growmore then top up with a little fresh compost.

Just watch out for slug eggs !

Compost can be 'revived' by mixing in nutrients at the correct levels. You can buy various generic plant foods in powder form at places like B and Q which are inexpensive and will restore old composts to make them useful. Having said that, you cannot really better a nice nutrient rich medium such as sieved garden compost from your compost bin. I've just been potting up various plants this morning in such stuff and it is so wonderfully moisture retentive and humus rich that I know my plants will do well in it, despite a lot of weed seedlings which will need removing.

What really dismays me is this year having bought various sacks of what is claimed to be 'potting compost' at relatively low prices, I have found nothing grows in it, and the plants have stagnated or even died. I don't know what prices are like in the UK, but here you now have to pay 7 or 8 euros for a large bag of 'compost' and even having shelled out that kind of money, you can't be sure it will be any good. I will never again buy the 2 euro sacks that were on sale in a supermarket as the result has been a disaster for everything I planted in it! Probably would have done better to use last year's compost with a few nutrients mixed in, as you are proposing to do.

Thanks guys

Ive actually found B&Q verve compost 125litres for £6 to be very good, previously I was buy 50L bags from garden centers and it was terrible, just full of wood bits but the B&Q stuff is very fine.

dig mine back int plot

This year so far I have had to buy 4 60ltr bags, this may sound like quite a lot but I use about 1600ltrs per year. One problem I had this year was I managed to sneak a couple of extra dustbins past SWMBO so two of the bags went in those. The other new compost is used for seed cutting and seedlings purely because I know its sterile.

If you have room get yourself a darlek composter they are invaluable my two give me 600ltrs per year of good garden compost. This compost is very rich and cut down 50/50 with used compost will give you a good growing medium. I use this for hungry plants such as onions and courgettes.

Reusing compost is really very easy (providing I have had no disease) I riddle it at the end of the season and store it in my dustbins, lid on. At the start of the next season I remove it as required and freshen it with a 7-7-7 fertiliser such as growmore although this last two years I have been trialing a dried FYM mix in some containers which seems to be good.

Growing in containers means that however good your compost you will have to feed after about week 6 so that base fertiliser mix will get you through this stage and then you can choose the fertiliser most appropriate to the plant your feeding.

With a little care you can do this year on year I have no idea how old some of my compost is, it all gets mixed up anyway.

Oh and welcome Maverick, you still flying that fast jet?

Hi every thing i grow in tubs at home is taken when finished to the plot and reinvested into the compost pile where when mixed up with t he other added feed is used again for the year after

i do try to reuse as much as i can and only buy when i have too as like every thing these days the costs keep mounting up

I have a friend that also gets me sacks of shredded paper which is also great added into the compost

Happy gardening


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I found this very helpful and just what I was wanting to hear really.
Ill be using approx 1250 litres per year so obviously not wanting to discard and replace all of it every year.
I have about 30 sq metres of raised beds on legs which contain 50/60 cm depth of soil and that will remain permanently, topped up with FYM and/or compost.
My largest useage will be in pots and containers .
I'm trying to keep my raised bed Rotation to grow Onions/Leeks, Parsnips/Carrots,
Beetroot, Peas and dwarf beans also a few Brassicas (for which I have 4 sq mtr moveable Enviro mesh cage).

On the Patio areas are 5 x 60 ltr pots for runner beans, 4 x 60 ltr celery, 4 x 60 ltr additional leeks, 20 x 10 ltr early potatoes, 5 x 60 ltr Main crop plus endless number of 10/15 ltr pots containing salads, beetroot, carrots ,spring onion, tomatoes, courgettes,garlic, chillies , even some Aubrigines and sweet potatoe this time . etc..!
So you can imagine I'm all ears for any help and advice.