Kitchen Garden Forum

I have noticed a general disappointment with the disgusting matter that is now sold as multi purpose compost. This is probably due to the PC brigade not liking tried and tested peat and companies jumping on the band wagon by substituting what appears to be broken up rooks nests as a replacement for wonderful natural organic peat.

For what it's worth I am more than happy with the composts that Michael King mixes on the Somereset Levels especially his 321 multipurpose compost. I have no financial interests with the company other than being happy to buy my compost from him.

http://www.michaelkings.co.uk/index1.html

Barney

Hi

Glad that I'm not the only one has noticed this. Still not sure why Levingtons, for example are including barely composted twigs and lumps of peat in their multi-purpose - it might be to be seen as more kind or organic - or just to save money hoping that we will be happy with it? I'm still very comfortable with peat - one of the best organic gardening products around. And there are thousands of tons of the stuff in N. Scotland and the whole of N. Europe to keep us going for decades and also keeping peat industries alive in some of the poorer parts of the EU.

Chris

I've been happy with the Humax compost I used last year. They seem to have improved the formula with a little sand. It seems to have enough nutrients to give things a good start, and their Humax 2 gives excellent results at the flowering and fruiting stages.

It does contain peat and my partner refuses to carry the bags out of the car as I'm not being ethical, but I say it is the nearest supply to home so I'm saving mileage - and it produces good results.

I must add that I've been very disappointed with B & Q peat free multi purpose compost in the past as it was very coarse and had bits of plastic in it. Don't know whether they have improved.

I only ever use Clover Multipurpose. It happens to be the only brand our local garden centre sells. It is consistently good quality - contains peat and none of the minced crap I hear others complaining about in cheaper composts. You get what you pay for.

Hi Alan,
You say that you get what you pay for but I would say that you pay over the odds and do not get what you are paying for!
JB.

Johnboy wrote:Hi Alan,
You say that you get what you pay for but I would say that you pay over the odds and do not get what you are paying for!
JB.

I'm 100% satisfied

I use my own home made mature compost, if i want to plant seeds I seive it - costs me nothing except the time to make it, and more environmentally friendly, and I know I am not importing anything untoward into my garden, some things I let seed where they grow and transplant seedlings to where I need them, things grow pretty well, seeds are tougher than you think. Peat areas are natural habitat and I prefer not to squeeze nature out any further, we have already lost an enormous number of species.