MP compost recommendations

[bramble]

I use Hortons multi purpose compost..its quite good.
I have tried Jack's Magic and also found it good but quite expensive.

[toomanytommytoes]

I think it is shocking that there is no labelling requirement for composts to state whether they contain peat. Everyone is saying don't use it, but you have to look pretty darn hard to find out what is in the bag. For something so ubiquitous and expensive, it seems terrible that no labelling is required.

Making your own is great but I don't have leafmold (aka gold dust) - it is too windy here and any leaves end up two counties away. I keep thinking I should bring bags the next time I go into a town with a park in the autumn...yup, the crazy leaf woman!

I am trying the New Horizon compost this year - so far, it seems pretty good. I'll have a verdict later in the year, I guess.

I just assume that if it doesn't mention peat free on the bag, it's probably mostly peat. Several brands now have a graphic on the bag showing what percentage of the 'compost' is peat.

The New Horizon formulation was changed some time last year and is much better now. It doesn't seem to contain green waste compost any more. The Gro-Sure peat free is identical apart from the addition of synthetic fertiliser granules. They're both Westland brands (as are J. Arthur Bower's , John Innes and Jack's Magic!).

[bikermike]

yes, they are very cheeky about peat labelling, lots of brands have screeds about how they aren't using peat and then admit the bag in question is 75% peat.

I was in a garden centre on Saturday that had soil conditioner that contained peat...

[Babru]

Interesting to hear your experience at the peat-free producers Blue nowhere.

My gardening club had a talk from Manager of IUCN UK Peatland Programme, based at the Scottish Wildlife Trust. As someone who uses peat MPC it made uncomfortable listening. From my understanding, blanket bogs themselves have limited species diversity apparently, so that's not the biggest issue. However these bogs are great soakers-up and retainers of water, so reducing flooding. Dug-out peat bogs do not retain water, and peat-contaminated water has to be filtered by the water companies at great expense (our expense of course!) Anyway, if you're interested this link explains better than me https://www.iucn.org/resources/issue...climate-change

The UK is clamping down on peat extraction, so companies are apparently looking abroad to exploit peat from other countries, such as China. Imagine bringing it all that way....

I tried and gave up on peat-free some years ago as my results were pretty poor. However the speaker, and other club members were clear that there are decent peat-free alternatives nowadays eg Sylvagrow, Dalefoot wool-based compost and Moorland gold (produced from peat filtered by the water companies that would otherwise go to landfill). Unfortunately these are all MUCH more expensive than standard peat compost. I'll maybe look out for the New Horizon as suggested in this thread.

I will be doing my best to reduce my peat use. Every little must help.

[Bluenowhere]

Yes it’s very hard to know what’s best, part of me doesn’t like using peat but the other part wants reliability in growing my seeds and small plants that need nurturing, that I personally haven’t got from the peat free mpc products. I use the reduced or peat free Westland brands mentioned for my flower planters and general pots etc so I comfort myself that I use it only when I need the qualities that I feel peat brings.

Both the places I went to formerly harvested peat on site. The excess poor quality green waste that is screened out goes back in the resulting hole so not sure what affect that has on water holding qualities.

Agree that it is a finite resource and that shipping it half way round the world cannot be good. Like the idea of using the water company filtered peat products and hopefully over time good quality peat free products will become more common and affordable.

[bikermike]

part of the solution is to leave it longer, I found a bucket of compost I'd forgotten from last year, it's lovely.

Maybe the way to do it is to buy crappy compost for general mulch and big plants, riddle it and keep the fines to one side for next year.

I keep on meaning to build a compost sieve that fits on the wheelbarrow so I can sieve bigger amounts in one go.

It's also worth pointing out that peat was never a big part of compost until the development of product compost, so it's not necessary for successful growing.

[nickdub]

If you want to do large scale sieving then a riddle fitted to two A frames is the way to go, and all the better if its high enough to be able to get a barrow under it. The frames take the weight and all you provide is the back and forward motion.

[bikermike]

part of the idea for putting it on a wheelbarrow is to use the wheel to carry the weight when riddling/sieving (is there a definitive difference between the two?)

A frames would be great, but space is the problem

[Derbydal]

With all the Bull Shyght that's going on in the halls of Westminster at the moment M.P. compost would have the most nutrients and it May cut down on the use of peat ! LOL atb Dal.

[nickdub]

part of the idea for putting it on a wheelbarrow is to use the wheel to carry the weight when riddling/sieving (is there a definitive difference between the two?)

A frames would be great, but space is the problem

You could make it as two A's with hooks and wire to attach the sieve - then the whole lot would store flat in about a foot of space .

[annie8]

Bought some of the Lidl multi purpose compost yesterday. Have to say it feels like good stuff - nice and smooth rather than clumps if you know what I meant. Tried to get that peat free kind in b and m but my local one didn’t have it.

[JMCKG]

What’s the best deals for GP Compost at the moment?

[smallblueplanet]

Trying this peat free compost, although it's MP I'm currently using it for seed compost (sieved).



https://www.melcourt.co.uk/products/...free-composts/

Seems good stuff, had nearly given up on getting a decent peat free (no green compost in it either).

[SarrissUK]

I've just opened one bag of compost from A$da, and it's not great at all. It's absolutely full of some cream coloured fibres that look almost like hair. That hairy stuff isn't decomposed at all, in fact, it looks like someone's cut the tips of their hair off into the compost. I've bought two bags - I will use them, but if my tomatoes don't like it in there I will take what I've got left back.

I usually use Lidl's compost, which is dark and excellent, but they didn't have any in last time I went. I might have to make the trip.

[self-contained]

I used my first bag of Lidl compost today, and it seems pretty good. The odd twig, but not too bad at all. 99p for 20L.

I went to try and buy more yesterday evening and thought it had all gone. Got all the way through the checkouts and found it tucked in the back instead of out the front like it is in the day. I'm planning to nip back for some more one evening this week. I can manage two bags per trip!