Carbon gold from OGC. Best stuff i have ever used but costs a small fortune! They do a sample pack of three products for ??15, worth a try.
Worst one was lidl, i had the same issues as you have had, everything else has been much of a muchness, have a look on creativegardenideas site, they are really good value and deliver free of charge in most areas if you spend ??30
Yeah I'm on j Arthur bowers too our local makro had it on offer and although it's a bit woody I just pick out the obvious big bits save it to one side and then when planting a bigger plant chuck it in the bottom of pots, helps with the drainage!
Hello , over the years I have tried the cheap and cheerful , B & Q and everything in between but keep coming back to Levington's which seems consistently good
I have been happy with the Erin this year - good texture, very few gremlins and four for a tenner at the GC, including nice young man to lift into the Mum-bus!
I agree with Mike Allen, I have used a lot of Westlands composts this year and yes, they have been very good but I've only bought the Westlands because I couldn't find any JAB. Last week I visited a local nursery I have never been to in the 48 years we've lived here and they had plenty of JAB 100 litre bales in stock @ £6.00 each so I immediately bought 1 multipurpose and 1 bark chips to try.
I was able to see the composition of the MP because the nursery had a GH with about a dozen 100 litre bales laid on the GH floor, tops cut out and 4 tomato plants growing in each. The plants looked fantastically healthy and the compost looked very acceptable. I have potted on a few plants in the JAB MP already and they are doing fine.
Over all I have always favoured JAB MP when I can get it. Companies like JAB do a lot of research and have good quality control so I really wouldn't be put off by what the compost looks like because you can bet it will bring good results if used as the manufacturer suggests. As Mike suggests (depending on what I'm growing) I add a little composted manure to the mix - particularly with courgettes.
Incidentally, we picked 3 courgettes and 5 cucumbers today: yum!
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I agree Bill, it was never as bad as that in the past was it? I wonder if the company is under new management. Or no management
I haven't complained yet but I will and you should as well. The peat free is OK though.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Worst one was lidl, i had the same issues as you have had, everything else has been much of a muchness, have a look on creativegardenideas site, they are really good value and deliver free of charge in most areas if you spend ??30
Yeah I'm on j Arthur bowers too our local makro had it on offer and although it's a bit woody I just pick out the obvious big bits save it to one side and then when planting a bigger plant chuck it in the bottom of pots, helps with the drainage!
I am another disappointed A Bowers user this year. Our garden club chairman and allotmenteer recommends Erin.
Both Jacks Magic and Erin use peat - so perhaps we do have to use peat to get a reasonable seed/potting compost?
Disappointed with Miracle grow this year, a bit mouldy.
Try Lidl brand at £1.99 for 35 ltrs. Its a good basic compost
Hello , over the years I have tried the cheap and cheerful , B & Q and everything in between but keep coming back to Levington's which seems consistently good
I have been happy with the Erin this year - good texture, very few gremlins and four for a tenner at the GC, including nice young man to lift into the Mum-bus!
I agree with Mike Allen, I have used a lot of Westlands composts this year and yes, they have been very good but I've only bought the Westlands because I couldn't find any JAB. Last week I visited a local nursery I have never been to in the 48 years we've lived here and they had plenty of JAB 100 litre bales in stock @ £6.00 each so I immediately bought 1 multipurpose and 1 bark chips to try.
I was able to see the composition of the MP because the nursery had a GH with about a dozen 100 litre bales laid on the GH floor, tops cut out and 4 tomato plants growing in each. The plants looked fantastically healthy and the compost looked very acceptable. I have potted on a few plants in the JAB MP already and they are doing fine.
Over all I have always favoured JAB MP when I can get it. Companies like JAB do a lot of research and have good quality control so I really wouldn't be put off by what the compost looks like because you can bet it will bring good results if used as the manufacturer suggests. As Mike suggests (depending on what I'm growing) I add a little composted manure to the mix - particularly with courgettes.
Incidentally, we picked 3 courgettes and 5 cucumbers today: yum!