best place to get compost

[Shirley]

Is it your local garden centre or an online place? Looking for peat free and pref organic stuff.

[herbalholly]

I get mine from our local recycling centre. It's organic, local and cheap.

[Flo]

Sure, but you have to be certain what went into your local recycling place's compost heaps from whence comes the product. Most people put all the stuff they don't want in their garden heap into the garden waste recycling bin. This can be anything and often is. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it isn't.

If you have access to an allotment association shop, their prices will be reasonable as there are bulk buying schemes that allow for small discounts. The local garden centre prices depend upon their buying power. They do have a range of products in most cases and some garden centres will deliver if you are willing to pay a delivery cost. That of course is the real problem - if you want a fairly large amount or you don't drive then delivery is something you have to weigh up.

Online is usually only worth considering if you want fairly large quantities.

[Shirley]

thanks

There are allotments at the end of the road and one of the neighbours has one so I'll ask him. Didn't even think of that.

[herbalholly]

Perhaps I should have been more detailed in my response. Our local recycling centre sells compost and there are a range of options - the one I buy is called 'Organic Choice' and is described as being 'suitable for organic farming'. It's produced in the Westcountry but not from municiple waste and is £3.50 for a huge bag. They also have potting compost, grow bags, municiple compost etc. I really like getting it from there as they're happy to put it into the car, which helps if you're buying loads!! ;)

[Pennylane]

Our local authority promoted big compost bins to encourage more people to make thier own if they could. I make my own using pallets , but then I am fortunate to have plenty of space to wait for it to mature.

[JayBee]

Try looking in your back garden, after you've made a compost heap.

Small garden? Well, first make sure all your weeds and grass clippings go in and then your kitchen waste (minus the meat).

In the autumn go for walks in parks and fill up bin liners with leaves. Brown cardboard. Bit of manure.

I bet you could make the equivalent of a couple of sacks of compost.

You'd be sure it was organic.

An alternative is just to mulch as the year progresses with whatever you can get your hands on.

Try no no-dig gardening too. Pile up whatever you can get your hands onto sheets of cardboard and plant into that.

http://www.ecopunk.org.uk/2005/08/dig-no-dig.html

I hope I've given you some free compost ideas.