I've used B&Q Verve MPC this year. I was a bit surprised at the amount of wood and twigs in it, but as yet haven't had too many problems. ( Got the glass bits before they got me). However, I used their growbags for the tomatoes, and I can honestly say that in all the years I've been growing tom's, I've never had such a disastrous year with them. I lost half of them shortly after planting in the g/h, and the rest are weak and straggly. I put it down to the awful weather earlier in the year, but now I'm not so sure! As far as the Verve goes, I mixed in some vermiculite and grit , and sieved it as well, to get a nice mix for the fuchsias. But I have to saythat I wont be using it again. Should we compile an 'approved list', for ourselves, of composts we know to be nice stuff, that we could refer to when neccessary?
Scubydoo, I think it's an excellent idea to have an "approved list". At the moment I have nothing to put on it! I am now trying some Westland. This is the worst year I can remember for my tomatoes and beans. Marrows are not looking too bad now after all the rain.
I opened my last bag of Levingtons MPC (bought in the spring and unopened) and found it was just one giant ants nest!! Uugh! Something likes it then! I shall never buy this again.
Well, this is my first year gardening, but from the word go I have used Durstons Multi-Purpose Compost and it has never let me down yet. I've had excellent germination with everything, and it's great in the containers I have. On the bag it says can be used for sowing, planting, tubs and hanging baskets. It also has added 'Growboost' mixed in with it. I can't see me changing from using this as it is great for my purposes. I also recently bought one of their growbags when I re-potted my toms. All seems ok so far.
wicks compost is one of the worse ones I have used and BQ comes second.
miracle grow is what I used in the past and will carry one using it,
I did start off this year with bq verve but did change it after a month or so because my plants were not growing so this knocked me back for 4 weeks,then we had all the rain,then we had strong winds which snapped my tall plants.
I've held off posting this until I've used quite a bit of it, but I've tried Homebase Plus with fair results. Its a little on the dry side and very compact, but crumbles easily in the hand. Its a touch on the woody side, so not suitable for seedlings, but for general potting up purposes, I've found it great. I've used 3 x 120litre bags of it this summer and its been consistent - and doesnt smell like a sewage farm! As long it remains as consistent, I think I'll stick with it. After all - if it aint broke, why fix it? I do add a little perlite or sharp sand - depending on the plant - from time to time as required, but I've used it on its own and it drains well and hasnt given me any problems. Thats all you need I suppose!
My mother and I bought Growmore compost from Homebase this year, this too is questionable. Mother topped up her raised beds, it started to rain heavily so came inside. Two days of rain before a revisit to the beds. Full of seedlings, weeds. A week later and her peat pots were growing fungi, pushing her expensive seeds out of the pot. Mine grew moss within a week of transplanting my stock. the compost was very fibrous, and looked more like bark chippings than compost. What's going on? When revisiting the garden centre at Homebase, many bags have been split with compost being dragged out of the bag, none even remotely resembled the compost of old. Is any manufacturer still making traditional compost, or is this a sign of things to come?
I bought some Homebase own brand compost recently and it seems reasonable compared to others. Not suitable for rhodies and azaleas but I've used it for general planting etc and my sweet peas have just been put in a pot with it so hopefully they'll be ok. A bit rough so I don't think I'd use it for seedlings. I had some Levingtons as well which I wasn't too impressed with. It seems to be a recurring problem this year.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm glad this link has appeared. I've used Verve B&Q multi to pot on toms, poor coloured things, at first I thought they'd got mosaic disease. First time in 20yrs that I've had toms looking like this. I usually plant into GHouse from 3inch pots, I've have had to pot on into next size up in Levington's veg compost, they are only just looking correct colour on new leaves. I tried a weak seeweed feed, even considered Epsom salts, I just think the compost is lacking in nutrients, was lumpy, course and full of "wood", I had to break it down to a reasonable texture. My toms have also shown signs, as others have reported as having, what looks like scorch on early leaves..no way. The only ones that haven't suffored are the O/D variety, don't know name as saved seed from a plant I was given last year.
I'd really welcome tomato experts views about scorch that isn't scorch.
Im very pleased with the three 125L bags of B&Q Verve MPC Ive used. I always sive it and whilst there are a few twigs etc overall its been very good.
Ive also purchased a few 60L bags of J Arthur Bowers compost which is on offer @ £3.60 per bag. I use this a couple of years ago and was pleased with it. The following year I went with sone well branded compost and it was awful, full of white mould and stones etc.
Im sticking with J Arthour Bowers and B&Q Verve from now on.
Posts
I've used B&Q Verve MPC this year. I was a bit surprised at the amount of wood and twigs in it, but as yet haven't had too many problems. ( Got the glass bits before they got me). However, I used their growbags for the tomatoes, and I can honestly say that in all the years I've been growing tom's, I've never had such a disastrous year with them. I lost half of them shortly after planting in the g/h, and the rest are weak and straggly. I put it down to the awful weather earlier in the year, but now I'm not so sure! As far as the Verve goes, I mixed in some vermiculite and grit , and sieved it as well, to get a nice mix for the fuchsias. But I have to saythat I wont be using it again. Should we compile an 'approved list', for ourselves, of composts we know to be nice stuff, that we could refer to when neccessary?
Scubydoo, I think it's an excellent idea to have an "approved list". At the moment I have nothing to put on it! I am now trying some Westland. This is the worst year I can remember for my tomatoes and beans. Marrows are not looking too bad now after all the rain.
I opened my last bag of Levingtons MPC (bought in the spring and unopened) and found it was just one giant ants nest!! Uugh! Something likes it then! I shall never buy this again.
Well, this is my first year gardening, but from the word go I have used Durstons Multi-Purpose Compost and it has never let me down yet. I've had excellent germination with everything, and it's great in the containers I have. On the bag it says can be used for sowing, planting, tubs and hanging baskets. It also has added 'Growboost' mixed in with it. I can't see me changing from using this as it is great for my purposes. I also recently bought one of their growbags when I re-potted my toms. All seems ok so far.
wicks compost is one of the worse ones I have used and BQ comes second.
miracle grow is what I used in the past and will carry one using it,
I did start off this year with bq verve but did change it after a month or so because my plants were not growing so this knocked me back for 4 weeks,then we had all the rain,then we had strong winds which snapped my tall plants.
ROLL ON NEXT YEAR.
I've held off posting this until I've used quite a bit of it, but I've tried Homebase Plus with fair results. Its a little on the dry side and very compact, but crumbles easily in the hand. Its a touch on the woody side, so not suitable for seedlings, but for general potting up purposes, I've found it great. I've used 3 x 120litre bags of it this summer and its been consistent - and doesnt smell like a sewage farm! As long it remains as consistent, I think I'll stick with it. After all - if it aint broke, why fix it? I do add a little perlite or sharp sand - depending on the plant - from time to time as required, but I've used it on its own and it drains well and hasnt given me any problems. Thats all you need I suppose!
My mother and I bought Growmore compost from Homebase this year, this too is questionable. Mother topped up her raised beds, it started to rain heavily so came inside. Two days of rain before a revisit to the beds. Full of seedlings, weeds. A week later and her peat pots were growing fungi, pushing her expensive seeds out of the pot. Mine grew moss within a week of transplanting my stock. the compost was very fibrous, and looked more like bark chippings than compost. What's going on? When revisiting the garden centre at Homebase, many bags have been split with compost being dragged out of the bag, none even remotely resembled the compost of old. Is any manufacturer still making traditional compost, or is this a sign of things to come?
I bought some Homebase own brand compost recently and it seems reasonable compared to others. Not suitable for rhodies and azaleas but I've used it for general planting etc and my sweet peas have just been put in a pot with it so hopefully they'll be ok. A bit rough so I don't think I'd use it for seedlings. I had some Levingtons as well which I wasn't too impressed with. It seems to be a recurring problem this year.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm glad this link has appeared. I've used Verve B&Q multi to pot on toms, poor coloured things, at first I thought they'd got mosaic disease. First time in 20yrs that I've had toms looking like this. I usually plant into GHouse from 3inch pots, I've have had to pot on into next size up in Levington's veg compost, they are only just looking correct colour on new leaves. I tried a weak seeweed feed, even considered Epsom salts, I just think the compost is lacking in nutrients, was lumpy, course and full of "wood", I had to break it down to a reasonable texture. My toms have also shown signs, as others have reported as having, what looks like scorch on early leaves..no way. The only ones that haven't suffored are the O/D variety, don't know name as saved seed from a plant I was given last year.
I'd really welcome tomato experts views about scorch that isn't scorch.
Im very pleased with the three 125L bags of B&Q Verve MPC Ive used. I always sive it and whilst there are a few twigs etc overall its been very good.
Ive also purchased a few 60L bags of J Arthur Bowers compost which is on offer @ £3.60 per bag. I use this a couple of years ago and was pleased with it. The following year I went with sone well branded compost and it was awful, full of white mould and stones etc.
Im sticking with J Arthour Bowers and B&Q Verve from now on.
p.s Suffered not suffored