Cheap potting or sowing composts, or make your own?

[BertieFox]

We live in France so don't have access to what seem to be far better priced and a much greater range of potting and sowing composts in the UK.

I went out this week to get some sowing compost for some precious seeds and found the first bag was 16.50 euros for 40 litres and the 'cheap' one was 8.90 euros! At that rate I will be bankrupt by the time I finish sowing seed this year! Compost seems likely to be the most expensive part of my gardening this year! Prices seem to have shot up since last year.

The only cheap product the French seem to sell is 'terreau' which looks like peat and is labelled as being for improving your soil. When I have tried it for potting, the plants have been very poor.

What success have others had in creating their own sowing or potting composts, and what materials have they used for this? I usually make a reasonable potting mix for aubergines, peppers and so on by using a mixture of the cheap peaty stuff and sieved garden compost from the compost bin, but this is not suitable for seedlings.

I have tried to use soil (after all, that was all that was available in the old days) but the results were a disaster as the soil here goes into a solid block and dries out completely within a day or two.

Perhaps I am just a skinflint! But I cannot justify spending from £6 to £12 for a relatively small bag of compost.

[Bren In Pots]

I make my own following Monty Dons advice:-

Monty Don's peat-free compost - Telegraph

[TrysHard]

I try and never pay more than about 5-6p per litre for compost.

So Wyevale bargains B&Q big bag - no use to you in French land.

I suppose other things are cheaper so it balances out.

[BertieFox]

"I suppose other things are cheaper so it balances out."

Not a lot of things, unfortunately. Times have changed. I think part of the problem is that French people themselves don't raise many plants like the British, and just buy them ready grown from markets or garden stores. It's strange how a commercial grower can sell 10 beautifully grown primulas, all in perfect compost and pots, for 8 euros! I can't believe they pay 8 euros a bag for compost! I must find out what source they have perhaps!

Thanks for the link to Monty Don's recipe. I will give that a try.

[roitelet]

I have got fed up with the French stuff and mix my own. Served compost, leaf mould, sand and soil in different quantities depending on what I want to use it for.