Best Supplier Of Compost 2023

I suspect that "peat free" compost would be OK were it free of recycled detritus including plastic to contaminate the ground, and/or were it composted for a decent amount of time.

Unfortunately it does not seem OK. I used some earlier in the year. Um. Soon, it will be impossible to do anything else,it seems.

 

That image does look like it has coir, or something else. I also can't see any prill's, which I would expect to see if they have incorporated feed that lasts for 3 months.

 

I have circled in green what to me looks like a prill of fertiliser, I would expect to see a few more.
Are these 9cm pots? It does look like a very coarse mix and if they have used coir in the mix, it seems like a very small percentage.

 

It almost looks like orchid compost.
I've tried quite a few peat free stuff the last couple of years but that looks like the courses I've seen.

 

Yes there were prills in the compost @gks but they were few and far between, so I suspect, unless there was a granular form too that I couldn't see, that there was very little fertiliser in the compost.

Pot sizes: I used a mixture of pot sizes and with some being old they were either in metric or imperial measurement. I leave you to do the maths (not my strong point), the larger ones were 1 litre the smallest 76mm. It's about time plant pots had a standard measurement, I struggle enough with metric without having to convert litres into millimetres and the older pots from inches.

I can buy peat based compost @shiney but I thought I'd try the peat free to see how it 'trialled' and as you can see, the results weren't good.

At the moment there are no signs of a ban here but that doesn't mean the Scottish government won't jump on the English band wagon at some point. Two miles from where I live there's a hand painted sign with Peat For Sale written in large letters. I have no idea where the sign leads, but it's on the shore of the Beauly river which is set in countryside and with no obvious signs of human life or buildings anywhere. I could walk for miles before I tracked it down.

 

It will also be peat for fuel that they will be selling.

Peat Suppliers in the Highlands (peatheat.co.uk)

There is a company that has been extracting peat from a bog in Gloonan, Daviot since 1982. They were refused peat extraction in 2014 as the council had said the license ran out in 1992, even though they were still being paid rates they never questioned the owners. The company went to court and was granted a 10 year license in 2019 to extract peat again, which I believe is mainly used for heat and the mushroom growers.

We used to lead peat from the Highlands many years ago, the peat works was near Thurso. There is four sites in the Highlands where peat is actively being extracted, I doubt much of the peat goes to the horticultural sector though.

Equality and Communities Division.dot (www.gov.scot)

 

Thanks gks, that was interesting reading. Looking at the list there's very little happening around Inverness. I know of Bogbain and that's a good drive from where I live. Daviot (you mentioned above) also. But, as on my previous post, there are obviously those digging and selling privately from their own land.

 

Hi Sheal

I bought a bag of this too for plants I'd bought for containers. None are doing very well. I also bought Wickes' own brand which isn't much better. Nothing seems to be really thriving. Must admit I'd been blaming the weather.

The only peat free compost I've found that was decent since switching was My Happy Garden, but I've not been able to get hold of it this year.

It's very disappointing when you spend money and time on things to see them struggling.

 

Hi Chiaroscuro

It was the first time I'd used peat free and until someone comes up with a good recommendation I won't bother trying it again.

I agree but even composts with peat aren't as good as they used to be, probably down to cut backs to save money - as always.

Is this the one you spoke of...



I've had a quick look on the web and it's still available from Amazon and E-Bay but knowing the weight it wouldn't be cheap to have it delivered. Up here in the Highlands delivery is more expensive. I've stopped using Amazon because they've really hiked their prices and delivery charges in the last couple of years.

 

Do you know what the content of the Happy peat free is please?

 

It seems difficult to find out exactly what's in these products. The name and claims are headline, the details seemingly not so willingly given. I wonder what an "ingredients" request to the company would give (if anything).

"The core raw materials in Happy Compost products are either recycled or by-products including bark, green compost, wood fibre and coir, all of which are 100% peat-free" (suitable for online search).

The product I mentioned a while ago ("Westland Peat Free Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes") sort-of looks OK, but i have noticed small fragments of plastic and what looks like chipboard, as well as bits of what look like brick and gravel.

From the above "Happy" quote, N.B. it says ingredients "include"... that is, there are other things in it.

I would absolutely disregard these buzzwords. I note that the Westland product I bought, and potted up some plants with, is now also growing some sort of toadstools. If you're interested, I can supply pictures.

 

Happy range of compost is manufactured by Bord na Mona, I think it is made in Kirby, Liverpool, what used to be, White moss horticulture.

In Charles Downing's blog it does not come recommended as they say, Bord na Mona can make peat based composts but not peat free, which I think is a bit unfair.

It is very difficult to make a good peat free compost when the retailers have a point of sale price. Also as I have mentioned in the past, peat free composts are more prone to leaching and should be stored undercover. Unfortunately many retailers are ignoring this, meaning the compost could easily have leached a good portion of the nutrients if it has been exposed to persistent wet weather.

Where we are based, the month of July has been very wet, due to the wet conditions all composts for sale to the general public have been undercover. In the future when purchasing peat free compost, it' not just the brand you should be checking but how the retailer is storing the compost. Personally, if retailers are storing peat free compost outside, I would not purchase it regardless of brand.

June 2020 extreme weather, early harvests, mulching, no dig garlic, webinars, insects, keep sowing, problems with bought composts - Charles Dowding

 

Just been chatting with one of my contacts regarding the happy range of compost, regarding availability and stockists. Well unless you can get hold of some from a retailer who still has surplus stock, it does not look like your going to get anymore in the future.

Bord na Mona have reportedly sold the company and rejected it being sold as a going concern, unless they had a change of mind.

The greener gardening company, which Bord na Mona launched, sells the Richmoor, Growise and Happy compost brand.

https://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/gtnxtra/yffmzgxlsme