Which Compost

[pigletwillie]

After trying out quite a few different sorts of compost over the last few years I have stared using

J Arthur Bowers with added John Innes compost.

Its a multi purpose but is a quality product. The bags are quite heavy but that is probably the addition of some soil for the JI part.

I use it for sowing into, potting on and add it to home made compost and JI No3 for potting up bigger specimens. It has been very reliable indeed.

[Alice]

I use the compost out of growbags Piglet, with the addition of some vermiculite when I need it. I use the growbags because they are a size and weight I can lift and carry. I find some other compost bags impossible.

[PAULW]

PW
I like J Arthur Bowers I have found the quality over many years is constant but I add my own mix of JI for things like onions and leeks but I use JAB neat for everything else.

[nick the grief]

I usually use Levingtons PW for the run of the mill stuff (seed sowing & cuttings etc) but the CHrysanths I grow in pots I use homemade JI No3

[dexterdoglancashire]

Silly question!

Does the type of compost you use affect the growth of seedlings etc? I think I just used ordinary type compost last year as a newbie - should've noted down which type, because everything came up "roses" as they say! For my normal veg seeds what does everyone recommend? thanks in advance. DDL

[supersprout]

After trying out quite a few different sorts of compost over the last few years I have stared using

J Arthur Bowers with added John Innes compost.

This very compost also came *outstanding* top in the Consumers' Association (Which?) trials piglet, which looked at a huge range including garden centres' own. If you subscribe, go have a look at the report - see the sad and sorry seedlings produced by crud and some quite expensive/big name compost. Seeds deserve a good start in life, don't they? I use nothing else for sowing and potting on, so am feeling good and glowy now cos piglet uses it too

[pigletwillie]

Great minds and all that SS. Thats interesting actually as I found that it was just so much better than anything else I had tried. I am glad its not just me who found it to be good.

[rustylady]

I've found that even branded composts vary from batch to batch. Don't buy really cheap ones, but usually ask for a bale of multi=purpose compost for my birthday (which is in March). Sometimes have to tinker with it, but having son deliver it is a big bonus. Make my own garden compost, but use it for topdressing the borders and veg plots.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Great minds and all that SS. Thats interesting actually as I found that it was just so much better than anything else I had tried. I am glad its not just me who found it to be good.

Am I right in thinking this is what I should be using? DDL

[Peter]

Our association buys "Humex" for the shop, it is good stuff at a keen price.

[supersprout]

Am I right in thinking this is what I should be using? DDL

Try a few and compare, then use what works for you? Some (e.g. the Arthur Bowers with JI) aren't available in weeny packs, which was all I could carry about one season. So I bought little bags of seed compo from Homebase as a compromise, it was much 'muddier' than the AB with John Innes though. Some lucky and talented peeps make their own - I'm sure that's the creme de la creme

[nick the grief]

Am I right in thinking this is what I should be using? DDL

If you stick to the main ones (Arthur Bowers, Levingtons or Westlands) you won't go far wrong DDL. Some of the own brands ones are OK as well but I had a couple of bad bags the other year so have gone back to Levingtons till I find some thing better. Also if you shop around you can get it at a good price (3 bags for £10 usually)

As to the Homemade stuff, the only reason I make my own JI is that I can adjust the ingredients ( which means it's not strictly JI compost) to suit the way I grow. The normal Late chrysanths go in the standard 7:3:2 mix but my late sprays go in a mix which is more like 5:5:2 (loameat:sand) & then 6oz of base fertiliser to the bushel.

Also it's fresh as the base fertiliser will break down after time so if it's been kicking around for 6 months or so there will be virtually nothing in it for the plants to feed on.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thanks everyone - can't wait to go and buy some and get planting! DDL

[PAULW]

NICK
Are you sure it's still legal to use Bushels would'nt like to hear that you had been raided and carted away by the metric police.

[sewer rat]

I never realised how difficult it was to find commercial suppliers of certified organic compost ! Or how much it costs compared to your average multi-purpose stuff, even when you order it by the lorryload