Best Supplier Of Compost 2021

In this particular instance, I am the supplier of compost - but probably not for much longer.
I have 4 large Dalek types, 2 with lift up flaps at the bottom, 2 without....though the flaps tend to get stuck in position anyway. The dilemma is that I just can't manage to empty them myself any more (rheumatoid arthritis) so it costs upwards of £45 to get someone in to do it. I'm thinking that it's far cheaper just to buy compost. But what to do with all compostable material in that case? Brown bin from council always seems to get full without anymore offerings (full at the moment and 3 large bags waiting to go in and take it over for the next fortnight.

 

You have hit the nail on the head @pete If anyone on here does a google search for horticultural stockists, you will find stockists that supply compost to the retail sector and the commercial grower.

For the commercial grower there is no such thing as a multipurpose compost, they have a selection of composts that are for specific crops. So, if you wanted a seed compost, there is a number of brands they can choose from, Sinclair, which is now owned by Westland and then there is Levington with their F1 or F2 , these will already be made with fine peat and the correct amount of fertiliser for seeds (F1) & cuttings (F2) and they will also have silver sand and vermiculite incorporated. Then you will have the M range and the C range all mean the peat grade Fine, Medium, Coarse and the higher the number the more nutrients for those crops. I gave a list of the compost range I do on here, the exact same list goes out the retail trade, allotment societies and commercial grower. If a G/C does not want to buy a certain compost from me that is specific for seeds, no sieving and the correct nutrients for seeds or a peat free compost, then there is very little I can do.

By buying specific composts it helps all sectors, which is what we should be all doing. But I doubt the retail sector will want that, they will miss out on the other sales of sand, vermiculite, feed etc etc that the commercial or semi professional sector don't require.

There are some large independent G/C's with turnovers well over 10million. I know of one that recommends using multipurpose compost, which they state is mainly made up from peat. They state on their website to use it as a soil conditioner for clay and sandy soil and on your garden as a mulch. Even though they say its an all round general compost, they don't even mention using it for seeds or cuttings. To be advising using a peat based multipurpose compost as a soil conditioner and mulch to the general public is inexcusable.

 

Do your 'daleks' have a bottom to them @JJ28 ? If they don't the composter can be lifted off the compost. They aren't that heavy being plastic.

 

They would need quite a bit of digging out of soil they're based on, they've ....sunk....into it somewhat. It's very frustrating not being able to do it any more :-(

 

I have 8 and the flaps/hatches either get stuck, or are so loose they need wiring into place to stop rats wriggling past them. A friend has just moved and ghe composter left in their new house has a proper well designed hatch that slides up and down in side grooves, but I find they take at least 2 years to fill ( when you've got 8) and it's impossible to get the solid compost out of the hatch, or it takes 2 people levering the whole lot up with spades under the bottom edges to get anything out.

 

Just lifted up my 3 full daleks. In the shade and the "compost " is near solid.
Have piled it all up into a large mound with added grass and wood chip to try and get the whole lot to do the magic this summer.(hot right now)
Might ditch the daleks or drill some good sized holes into them to get the air in there.
Cant be any worse than they are now and the mice will be happier too

 

B&Q sell Jacks Magic now.

 

It's being showing on their website as out of stock at all their stores within a 100 mile round trip of me for months.

It only appears to be available in the South West/South Wales, a 200 mile trip, and it's 25% more expensive than Wickes.

 

Its been reported that peat usage in the horticultural sector went up from 2 million cubic metres to 2.8 million cube in 2020, that relates to 8 million extra 100L bags of MPC.

Below is a very interesting read.

https://www.stockbridgeonline.co.uk...2/06/rieley_phasing-out-peat2_IPC14070312.pdf

 

Took advantage of the rain the last few days to re-wet some coir blocks, 18 cube in total.
Managed to get 3 of our retail garden centres to try coir, 2 pallets for seeds and 3 pallets for container potting. All 3 of them asked if we could not make it multipurpose, well 500gram of fertiliser per cubic metre for seeds, compared to 4kg for containerised potting. They would have multipurpose in john innes and everything else if they could.

 

The neighbour asked me if I wanted a couple of spare growbags as she had got a couple more than she wanted.
I thought I could always mix them in with some other compost and just use it for short term plants.

Anyway, when I opened them they were very wet, but also rock hard, there was really large hard lumps where, presumably, the bags had been on a pallet and got compressed over a long period.

It was also what I used to call sedge peat, that really black hard stuff.

I cant think many people who bought these has had much success unless they ripped the bags wide open and broke the contents right down, which is not totally practical with a growbag.

 

Durstons are located next to RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset, probably digging another big hole in the peat that will create another premier wildlife reserve.

 

But these lumps were really hard, the only way to turn it into anything useful was to turn it all out and break it up with a trowel.