best type of compost?

[ckfe]

can anyone recommend some decent compost? i've tried 2 different types, one was very woody and got tons of bits in.. the other type is some i got from the garden centre and called enis or something similar
i need to buy some more now but don't want to be buying something that isn't any good

[Jenegade]

I've been using the New Horizon peat free compost and it's been great! There are a few woody bits, but it's the best peat free compost I've used, all my plants are thriving in it! They also have growbags which are great too.

[ckfe]

where did you get that from and how much is it? i've just bought a composter but from what i can gather it takes months to produce compost

[Naga]

I've used Westland+ compost which was pretty nice but the best stuff I have used so far is Asda's own brand, nicer than the B&Q stuff I have and it doesn't have any plastic in it and not too much woody bits, lovely and moist rich stuff I think.

[ckfe]

might pop into asdas in a bit, i'm making a raised bed and don't want to buy loads of compost for it only to find out it's woody and horrible

[Hazel at the Hill]

I've been using the New Horizon peat free compost and it's been great! There are a few woody bits, but it's the best peat free compost I've used, all my plants are thriving in it! They also have growbags which are great too.

Yep - I agree. I get it from our Wyevales and it's £4.99 a bag (60l, I think). There are cheaper composts out there, but this is peat free which is very important to me, and the quality is great.

By the way, if you're filling a raised bed, I wouldn't worry too much about how fine the compost is - it's only really important for seed sowing. I filled a couple of my raised beds with free compost from the council - it's dog rough, but it's only for the potatoes, and they don't seem to mind.

[ckfe]

so should i grow the seedlings in pots with nice compost then transfer them into the nasty stuff in the raised bed when they're a bit bigger?.. didn't realise you could get free compost from the council

why is it important to get peat free compost?

[Hazel at the Hill]

so should i grow the seedlings in pots with nice compost then transfer them into the nasty stuff in the raised bed when they're a bit bigger?.. didn't realise you could get free compost from the council

I grow most stuff in pots (I'm quite tight with seeds) then plant them out when they've grown a bit. You get better germination and less pest damage this way, I find.

Each council is different - you'll have to contact them to see if yours offers compost free (or other grapes may know).

why is it important to get peat free compost?

Ripping up the peat bogs isn't considered particularly 'green' - a bit like flattening the rainforests to graze cattle to go into burgers....

There's been a couple of good threads on the subject at the beginning of the year if I remember right.

[Sweepster]

Just to mention... the compost you would use for sowing seeds and growing things in pots - potting compost - is not necessarily the same as the garden compost you might use to fill raised beds, dig into the soil as a 'soil conditioner' or use as a mulch (the stuff you will get from your own composter).

[ckfe]

what's the best way to do the raised bed? how far into the soil should i dig? should i just skim the top of the lawn off and turn it over (think i read something about doing it that way somewhere) or is there a better way?