Whoops, I've not quite made it clear - some purchased compost is soil-based (described as loam-based compost on the bags) and is used for potting.
Some purchased compost is peat based and can be used for potting or can be added to a bed as a conditioner.
Some purchased compost is peat-free but still not soil-based (made from composted materials with nutrients and other stuff added) and can be used in the same way as the peat-based.
You could make potting compost as the old gardeners did, by combining the compost from your bin with a combination of good quality loam, grit, perlite, in appropriate proportions and adding nutrients such as blood, fish and bone or one of the range of John Innes fertilisers, but your compost would have to be really good and you'd then need to sieve it, and you'd have to have access to good quality loam - nowadays it's easier to buy your compost in bags from the garden centre.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When I fill large pots for annuals, roses etc for the terrace I put manure and soil in the bottom half for substance then I top up with bought compost as then it doesn't grow weeds. Every season when I plant out the annuals I change the top few inches with new compost.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
We have a raised bed 3' x 2' x 7ft... we did have two but when we moved took just one with all the soil... anyway we started off with a Lasagne Garden with just layering up like a compost... we did this at the end of the season (autumn) and it was all ready to plant for the spring., we started under straw first (nothing too deep like carrots/beets) but we had brilliant tomatoes, courgetttes and beans.. This year we planted tomatoes (all got blight) but the salad and beans/courgettes were very good... then we just turn it all over give it a bit of manure and the bottom stuff that is now on the top is ready for planting... so this is the first time we have over wintering onions and broad beans. Its the easiest gardening project we have ever had... just layering up the bed with compost/soil/manure with a top layer of bought compost. like a lasagne... the worms are huge too!
Posts
Whoops, I've not quite made it clear - some purchased compost is soil-based (described as loam-based compost on the bags) and is used for potting.
Some purchased compost is peat based and can be used for potting or can be added to a bed as a conditioner.
Some purchased compost is peat-free but still not soil-based (made from composted materials with nutrients and other stuff added) and can be used in the same way as the peat-based.
You could make potting compost as the old gardeners did, by combining the compost from your bin with a combination of good quality loam, grit, perlite, in appropriate proportions and adding nutrients such as blood, fish and bone or one of the range of John Innes fertilisers, but your compost would have to be really good and you'd then need to sieve it, and you'd have to have access to good quality loam - nowadays it's easier to buy your compost in bags from the garden centre.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When I fill large pots for annuals, roses etc for the terrace I put manure and soil in the bottom half for substance then I top up with bought compost as then it doesn't grow weeds. Every season when I plant out the annuals I change the top few inches with new compost.
We have a raised bed 3' x 2' x 7ft... we did have two but when we moved took just one with all the soil... anyway we started off with a Lasagne Garden with just layering up like a compost... we did this at the end of the season (autumn) and it was all ready to plant for the spring., we started under straw first (nothing too deep like carrots/beets) but we had brilliant tomatoes, courgetttes and beans.. This year we planted tomatoes (all got blight) but the salad and beans/courgettes were very good... then we just turn it all over give it a bit of manure and the bottom stuff that is now on the top is ready for planting... so this is the first time we have over wintering onions and broad beans. Its the easiest gardening project we have ever had... just layering up the bed with compost/soil/manure with a top layer of bought compost. like a lasagne... the worms are huge too!