Multi Purpose Compost

[bluemidget]

Hi all! Had a good summer, grew some lovely tomatoes and some sweet, sweet carrots - even got a couple of chillis! the butternut squash didnt turn out to be a success but hey - always next year!

anyhoo my question is this:-

my toms, carrots and squash were all grown in buckets using multi purpose compost from the garden centre and I wanted to know what to do now that I've cleared everything and I'm left with buckets and buckets of the stuff!

Can I keep using it? (I want to get some garlic in) or do I have to throw it and start again using fresh multi purpose compost?

Phew! hope that all made sense! All the best and thanks in advance for your help

Neil.

[janeyo]

I don't think you are meant to grow toms again in the same compost.
I have spread mine all over the flower beds and some in the other beds to top up the levels (beds are raised). Put the tomato compost mainly in the potato bed as it's the same family.
Think there was a thread on here a while ago about re-using compost if you search for it.
Think you can add a liquid feed or something to make it good again - someone more knowledgable will help!

janeyo

[bluemidget]

thanks - I'll have a search

[Snadger]

Loads of other things can be grown in the same compost..........but stay clear of toms or spuds.
As an experiment this year, after the toms were finished I tipped out the compost from the buckets, added a bit BFB, mixed it together and planted an individual brassica in each.

In the greenhouse, I now have potted red curly kale, potted Tuscan Kale, potted spring cabbage, potted PSB and potted shallots. Seems to be working fine up til now as the plants are streets ahead of the ones outdoors giving me a succession!

[Alison]

The spent compost will be low on some nutrients as it's been used all summer and obviously shouldn't be used for things in the same family ie more tomatoes, potatoes etc but you can feed it up and use it for something else. I always grow winter lettuce in old grow bags but as Snadger says you can do much more.

[bluemidget]

Thanks Snadger!

hello Alison! Thanks for your help - I'm from Wazza too! C'mon the Wire!

[Alison]

Thanks Snadger!

hello Alison! Thanks for your help - I'm from Wazza too! C'mon the Wire!

You're showing your age now, surely you should be calling for the media friendly Wolves!

[Rocketron]

I don't think you are meant to grow toms again in the same compost.
I have spread mine all over the flower beds and some in the other beds to top up the levels (beds are raised). Put the tomato compost mainly in the potato bed as it's the same family.
Think there was a thread on here a while ago about re-using compost if you search for it.
Think you can add a liquid feed or something to make it good again - someone more knowledgable will help!

janeyo

Exactly why you shouldn't put used tomato compost on a bed in which you wish to grow potatoes. Any hint of blight in the compost will knacker your spuds next year.

Sorry , in my haste, I posted before reading Snadger's post.

[littlepooley]

I spread mine over my flower beds to help improve the soil, I have terrible clay soil so anything added to it is a bonus!

[Gwen11ian]

I gave my tomato soil to a friendly neighbor for her flower bed, because I don't have any soil of my own (rented flat with nothing but a tiny area of cement). From the beans, squash, etc I've dumped all the pots of soil together into a large potato bag. I've added in dried leaves that I've been sweeping off my steps and tiny outdoor area, and gave them a good mix in around with the soil. Next year I'll add some slow release fertilizer and mix my recycled soil with a small bag of fresh multipurpose before dividing it up among the pots again in the spring.

[rustylady]

Use all my spent compost to topdress other beds, borders, lottie etc. Multipurpose compost is so cheap I find it better to buy new for new crops.

[Sally]

Use it to improve the quality of very poor soil.

When I first dug my veg beds they were out of an arable field, the soil was played out and extreamly clay like - very light orange in colour. It was absolutly impossible to dig, a friend dug out all the spent compost from his green house and we dumped it on the bed with some grass cuttings and manure. This really helped break up the clay and improve soil.