Newb confused about Compost?

[Superh]

Hello! Newb gardener here, and i'm fairly confused about compost

I have heard so much about compost that I'm lost! Basically, I am growing tomatoes this year and an amassment of chili plants(including, the Dorset Naga!!)

Right now i have the chili plants in some westland mpc, but they seem slow growing(3inches after 11 weeks) So what will the best soil/compost for growing these will be? I was thinking of mixing the content of a growbag with some other multipurpose compost i have hanging around. Same for the tomatoes later on.

What will be the best for tomatoes? What kind of soil will be ample for my chili plants?
thank you for your help.

P.s I hear good things about B&Q compost? What are some great brands?

[Two_Sheds]

Compost: is a growing medium. Some have added nutrients, some are finer or coarser than others. Some are peat based, some are peat-free.

Seeds don't need a nutrient-rich compost: all they need is within the seed. As the plant grows however, it will run out of (seed) nutrient and need more from its compost. Most people use a general, bog-standard MPC such as B&Q. A good peat-free alternative is New Horizon.

[taff]

they're slow growing because they're not meant to be growing at this time of year [unless of course you have the full set up of heat and light]
I wouldnt buy B&Q again, it was rubbish the last time [year before last], full of wood. I've been buying New Horizon and did used to use Levingtons in the red bag.
Both were mroe than adequate for the chillis and toms.

[Matt94]

whereas i have always stuck to buying B&Q's MPC because ive always found the quality to be very good. however i do agree with taff - levingtons growbags are great. For toms and chilli's id stick to using the compost out of growbags, these usually have added nutrients!

[rustylady]

Whichever compost you choose to use, your plants will need additional feeding at some stage. Tomorite or own brand equivalent is good for tomatoes and chillies.

[FionaH]

I work in a garden centre and I use any compost with a split bag! If they are split we can't sell them and I get them for free As Rusty Lady said it is the feeding and taking care of them later that matters

[Maccabee]

Or a free and organic feed could be had by brewing some Comfrey Tea.

I'm using New Horizon this year. I've been using what was left over of B&Q's peat-free mpc for seeds so far this year and it's rubbish. It's become absolutely solid, it'll be a wonder if the seeds can break the surface.