Best supplier of Compost 2015/2016

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by Marley Farley, Jan 4, 2014.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I just bought some of the old stuff at my nearest store, they let me have it for £2 a bag, it's ideal for soil conditioning a new bed I'm making at the front.

    I wouldn't buy it normally, it's obviously been out in the elements all winter and the bags are much heavier due to absorbing rainwater, I can just drop them out of the car next to where I'm working.
     
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    • roders

      roders Total Gardener

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      Having trailed this compost recently...I can recommend it.
      I have noted it has come out as one of "Which" best buys.
      Although it is mostly peat, it has a very loamy feel.


      Westland Jack's Magic All-purpose Compost
      [​IMG]
      Test score: 71%
      Peat content: 95%
      Price per litre: 12p (50-litre bag)
      This widely available all-purpose compost is more expensive to buy and contains more peat than the Verve Best Buy (left) – but the begonias flowered earlier in this one, and were still going strong when the trial ended in October.
      The potatoes didn’t crop as well as they did in the Verve Best Buy compost, but we still harvested a respectable 1.5kg per pot on average.
      Where to buy: Homebase, selected garden centres including members of the Blue Diamond group.
       
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      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        • longk

          longk Total Gardener

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          I'm very happy so far with the bag of Vitax Q4 mpc that I bought the other week. It has a lovely light feel and smells "right" too.
          I can't remember how much it was - sorry.
           
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          • Scrungee

            Scrungee Well known for it

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            Yes, from that pic of JWK's it does appear to be more fibrous. I still actually have one unopened bag of Wickes original MPC, so if I see a reduced bag of the new stuff I'll be able to do a proper side by side comparison.
             
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            • shiney

              shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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              I've just been in Wickes. The price of the new one has gone up to 4.49 but 5 for the price of 4 = 3.59 per 70 litres. The older formula is still £3 per bag. If buying, make sure you get the one that says suitable for seeds (on a diagonal band on the bag) and has a blue flash at the bottom. As usual, both bags look similar.
               
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              • JWK

                JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                The tomato seed sown 6 days ago have germinated, the seedlings in the new wickes compost are very slightly ahead of the more expensive John Innes Seed Compost I've been using. So far so good with it:

                20140403-P4030033.jpg

                John Innes on the left - New Wickes compost on the right
                 
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                • Scrungee

                  Scrungee Well known for it

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                  The last couple of times I've checked at my local Wickes they had masses of pallets of the old rubbish stuff and not a single bag of the new compost. I did wonder what somebody would of had delivered if they'd ordered online as they were still both the same price then. They really should have discounted/cleared the old rubbish before the new growing season started as I'm sure loads of people would have taken one look and gone elsewhere for yet another year.
                   
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                  • Loofah

                    Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                    Well that would be why it came out top then...

                    Just waiting on my Westland pro potting compost to arrive [​IMG]

                    Not buying sackfuls of Wickes this year on principal
                     
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                    • shiney

                      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                      At our Wickes yesterday they had 1534 bags (I got them to check on their computer) of the new formula in their stores on pallets and they had to bring them out for me (not all of the :heehee:). They were obviously trying to flog the old stuff first.
                       
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                      • Loofah

                        Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                        Have now had a chance to open up my bag of Westland Pro - it's awesome. This pic taken a few inches from the compost and doesn't do it justice. Although the colour looks blotchy, the compost isn't. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things grow

                        2014-04-26 14.32.57.jpg
                         
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                        • Bilbo675

                          Bilbo675 Total Gardener

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                          Today I have stumbled on another excellent compost that is now vying for my affections :snork:, I was buying some plants from a place I visit regularly and have often seen the bags of compost they sell, 80 litre bags for £4.49, but not being one I recognise I've never bought any, however today I needed some compost to 'bulk out' some larger pots so instead of traveling to Wickes I picked up a bag of this to have a look at.

                          Well when I opened the bag I was very pleasantly surprised, its fine, crumbly and even has a small amount of fine grade perlite already in it, its easily on par with the Clover MPC I have been using, but this works out quite a bit cheaper :) This is by a company called Oak Tree Garden Products.

                          Here's a few photos, the one on the left is the 'new' one and the one on the right is Clover
                          Picture 161.jpg
                          The 'new' one
                          Picture 162.jpg

                          Clover
                          Picture 163.jpg
                           
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                          • Jenny namaste

                            Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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                            @Bilbo675 is it actually called "Oak Tree garden Products"?
                            Jenny
                             
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                            • Bilbo675

                              Bilbo675 Total Gardener

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                              • Loofah

                                Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                                Any chance the mods can merge this thread with the 'Best supplier 2014' thread? they're discussing pretty much the same thing
                                 
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