Compost seems to get worse every year. Having had trouble with Levingtons MPC (I complained to them but was told their compost was good and only contained permitted recycled material) I tried J.Arthur Bowers last year. It was terrible! Useless. Had the worst crop of tomatoes I have ever had.
This year tried Levingtons again (all I could get locally). Says on bag "Levingtons MPC with added John Innes. Enriched with recycled material" Besides the usual old roots (some still growing) it contained bits of plastic and wood and lots of small gravel. I have already lost two lots of tomato plants in it this year.
I make my own compost but have to use bought as well as my soil is heavy clay. I am 77 and have been gardening since a child so I do not think I am a novice.
Yes, I think we need a champion to take up our cause - someone like Alan Titchmarsh.
First I would like to apologise for my spelling , it was as you can see 10 mins past midnight , I was shattered but when I found this on the forum I just had to join in . How can we do something about it ? Should we all email Alan T. ?
I am pleased to find I am not the only one with this gripe - I always blamed myself thinking my green fingers were changing colour! But more down to earth I was doing something wrong or that it was old seed . Or that I had watered it too much with it going green quickly.
But.....................
Oddly enough whilst out walking today I got talking to a fello walker.We talked about gardening ,I naturally brought this subject up.He told me he used to work at such a place and that the recycle company could,nt sell it so they dug massive pits .They were reported for burying it and were summonsed. He also said it smelt realy bad .What can we do? suggestions needed me thinks.
There was even a comment about the quality of MPC's on Peter Seabrook's gardening page of a popular newspaper on May 12th, under the heading 'SICK OF CON-POST'
"Sales of compost in April were around 38% down on last year and, as usual, the producers are simply blaming the rain.But shouldn't they also look at whether people are getting fed up with poor results from the growing media they buy? Recently we have had compost containing glass, Formica and wood. As material such as wood breaks down it takes in nitrogen-a substance vital to plant growth. Without it the plant dies. Losing plants in this way is a waste of time and money. Maybe if compost performed like it used to, sales figures would look better."
I doubt if this comment was from the man himself, but we need someone with some clout to start doing something about it.
About farmyard menure, When horses are bedded down on woodshavings instead of the more expensive bedding I find the menure is complete rubbish too , it causes me problems as you have found, it also encourages woodlice and ants to nest amongst it .
Unlike farmyard menure that has the straw which has been used for animals - this is good for the garden after a year of keeping. Used new it is too strong with urine.
Cow menure is better for some things too (as cows eat mainly young grass i was told not so many seed to growfrom it - the farmer gave me this information ).
I keep trying diffent options to highlight this compost issue. Yesterday I found a bbc email address '[email protected]' and sent the message below. Maybe if you guys send messages to this same bbc email address someone will actually open one of them, look at this forum and possibly take some action ! (I did include my personal contact details in the original email to the bbc).
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Please see the link below to your BBC gardeners world website which explains problems and frustrations being voiced by genuine, experienced and honest gardeners in the UK.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">Neither trading standards or the suppliers are willing to help us (Believe me I’ve tried!). We are constantly being told it is not the compost that is a problem, but our ability as gardeners.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">We need someone to champion this cause. This issue really needs to be exposed by one of your high profile gardeners. All of their good work promoting gardening, falls at the first hurdle if we can`t get the compost that is fit for purpose !
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many gardeners are experiencing plants being totally destroyed by this nasty stuff being sold as compost, and is simply not fit for use in the garden.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please, Please ,Please help expose this scandal.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> GC
I copied and pasted the above from my email to the bbc. Non of the rubbish about fonts was apparent when I sent the message. Below is a cleaned up version:
I keep trying diffent options to highlight this compost issue. Yesterday I found a bbc email address <a href="mailto:" target="_blank"><span style="color: #172d02;">'[email protected]'</a> and sent the message below. Maybe if you guys send messages to this same bbc email address someone will actually open one of them, look at this forum and possibly take some action ! (I did include my personal contact details in the original email to the bbc).
Please see the link below to your BBC gardeners world website which explains problems and frustrations being voiced by genuine, experienced and honest gardeners in the UK.
Neither trading standards or the suppliers are willing to help us (Believe me I’ve tried!). We are constantly being told it is not the compost that is a problem, but our ability as gardeners.
We need someone to champion this cause. This issue really needs to be exposed by one of your high profile gardeners. All of their good work promoting gardening, falls at the first hurdle if we can`t get the compost that is fit for purpose !
Many gardeners are experiencing plants being totally destroyed by this nasty stuff being sold as compost, and is simply not fit for use in the garden.
Compost seems to get worse every year. Having had trouble with Levingtons MPC (I complained to them but was told their compost was good and only contained permitted recycled material) I tried J.Arthur Bowers last year. It was terrible! Useless. Had the worst crop of tomatoes I have ever had.
This year tried Levingtons again (all I could get locally). Says on bag "Levingtons MPC with added John Innes. Enriched with recycled material" Besides the usual old roots (some still growing) it contained bits of plastic and wood and lots of small gravel. I have already lost two lots of tomato plants in it this year.
I make my own compost but have to use bought as well as my soil is heavy clay. I am 77 and have been gardening since a child so I do not think I am a novice.
Yes, I think we need a champion to take up our cause - someone like Alan Titchmarsh.
I'm a Thwaites too! Hello . Not that many of us about.
Posts
Compost seems to get worse every year. Having had trouble with Levingtons MPC (I complained to them but was told their compost was good and only contained permitted recycled material) I tried J.Arthur Bowers last year. It was terrible! Useless. Had the worst crop of tomatoes I have ever had.
This year tried Levingtons again (all I could get locally). Says on bag "Levingtons MPC with added John Innes. Enriched with recycled material" Besides the usual old roots (some still growing) it contained bits of plastic and wood and lots of small gravel. I have already lost two lots of tomato plants in it this year.
I make my own compost but have to use bought as well as my soil is heavy clay. I am 77 and have been gardening since a child so I do not think I am a novice.
Yes, I think we need a champion to take up our cause - someone like Alan Titchmarsh.
First I would like to apologise for my spelling , it was as you can see 10 mins past midnight , I was shattered but when I found this on the forum I just had to join in . How can we do something about it ? Should we all email Alan T. ?
I am pleased to find I am not the only one with this gripe - I always blamed myself thinking my green fingers were changing colour! But more down to earth I was doing something wrong or that it was old seed . Or that I had watered it too much with it going green quickly.
But.....................
Oddly enough whilst out walking today I got talking to a fello walker.We talked about gardening ,I naturally brought this subject up.He told me he used to work at such a place and that the recycle company could,nt sell it so they dug massive pits .They were reported for burying it and were summonsed. He also said it smelt realy bad .What can we do? suggestions needed me thinks.
There was even a comment about the quality of MPC's on Peter Seabrook's gardening page of a popular newspaper on May 12th, under the heading 'SICK OF CON-POST'
"Sales of compost in April were around 38% down on last year and, as usual, the producers are simply blaming the rain.But shouldn't they also look at whether people are getting fed up with poor results from the growing media they buy? Recently we have had compost containing glass, Formica and wood. As material such as wood breaks down it takes in nitrogen-a substance vital to plant growth. Without it the plant dies. Losing plants in this way is a waste of time and money. Maybe if compost performed like it used to, sales figures would look better."
I doubt if this comment was from the man himself, but we need someone with some clout to start doing something about it.
To Rita 4 who texted in on 23/05/2012 at 19 :53.
About farmyard menure, When horses are bedded down on woodshavings instead of the more expensive bedding I find the menure is complete rubbish too , it causes me problems as you have found, it also encourages woodlice and ants to nest amongst it .
Unlike farmyard menure that has the straw which has been used for animals - this is good for the garden after a year of keeping. Used new it is too strong with urine.
Cow menure is better for some things too (as cows eat mainly young grass i was told not so many seed to growfrom it - the farmer gave me this information ).
I keep trying diffent options to highlight this compost issue. Yesterday I found a bbc email address '[email protected]' and sent the message below. Maybe if you guys send messages to this same bbc email address someone will actually open one of them, look at this forum and possibly take some action ! (I did include my personal contact details in the original email to the bbc).
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Please see the link below to your BBC gardeners world website which explains problems and frustrations being voiced by genuine, experienced and honest gardeners in the UK.
<a href="http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/bandq-mpurpose-compost-issues/2516.html"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/bandq-mpurpose-compost-issues/2516.html</a>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">Neither trading standards or the suppliers are willing to help us (Believe me I’ve tried!). We are constantly being told it is not the compost that is a problem, but our ability as gardeners.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">We need someone to champion this cause. This issue really needs to be exposed by one of your high profile gardeners. All of their good work promoting gardening, falls at the first hurdle if we can`t get the compost that is fit for purpose !
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many gardeners are experiencing plants being totally destroyed by this nasty stuff being sold as compost, and is simply not fit for use in the garden.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Please, Please ,Please help expose this scandal.
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> GC
I copied and pasted the above from my email to the bbc. Non of the rubbish about fonts was apparent when I sent the message. Below is a cleaned up version:
I keep trying diffent options to highlight this compost issue. Yesterday I found a bbc email address <a href="mailto:" target="_blank"><span style="color: #172d02;">'[email protected]'</a> and sent the message below. Maybe if you guys send messages to this same bbc email address someone will actually open one of them, look at this forum and possibly take some action ! (I did include my personal contact details in the original email to the bbc).
Please see the link below to your BBC gardeners world website which explains problems and frustrations being voiced by genuine, experienced and honest gardeners in the UK.
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/bandq-mpurpose-compost-issues/2516.html
Neither trading standards or the suppliers are willing to help us (Believe me I’ve tried!). We are constantly being told it is not the compost that is a problem, but our ability as gardeners.
We need someone to champion this cause. This issue really needs to be exposed by one of your high profile gardeners. All of their good work promoting gardening, falls at the first hurdle if we can`t get the compost that is fit for purpose !
Many gardeners are experiencing plants being totally destroyed by this nasty stuff being sold as compost, and is simply not fit for use in the garden.
Please, Please ,Please help expose this scandal.
Well it was almost a cleaned up version !
the bbc email should read '[email protected]'
I'm a Thwaites too! Hello
. Not that many of us about.
Sorry, hit return too early. Beechgrove are doing interesting trials of compost.
Most recent show, available on iplayer, has initial results.