Which compost?

[DustyLee123]

Last summer the compost I bought was awful, it was like shredded fence panels, there was little soil content, and the water ran straight through it. I’m fairly sure it was Miracle Grow.
So what should I get this year for proper soil content?

Melcourt Sylvagrow tends to top the reviews. I’ve never used it (I use my own)

I use Melcourt Sylvagrow. It's the compost that my local trade nursery uses. However you say you want soil content. Generally compost doesn't have soil in it. If that's what you need, you need to look out for the one with John Innes added. I tend to mix my own, especially for long term planting and have a bag of top soil to mix in.

John ines or something like that is meant to be the best according to my gardening addict relatives but it's b expensive. My nan said lidls is pretty good so I've gone with that

Subscribe to gardening Which? They test every year and recommend composts for seeds, small plants and pots.

They test and recommend every year, as the newer peat free compost formulations change every year.

I’m a fan of Melcourt sylvagrow, ideally with added john innes.

What I mean by that is for it to be more like a soil composition, than shredded fence panels.

What are you using it for OP? As a mulch, seed sowing, for growing in pots?

I agree that some are awful, I once had some that looked like the contents of old vacuum cleaner bags.

Got sewing seeds and plants in pots.

Sylvagrow is very fine. Nothing like fence panels!

Definitely better than many others by far but with the price tag to match and sadly not a huge number of stockists.

Especially if you buy the 'with added John Innes type'
Depends on whether it is for starting seeds or something else

Watching with interest as I've been so disappointed in every peat free compost I've used. Currently trying some mixed with leaf mould and home made compost, which is an improvement. For seeds I'd pay whatever it cost for a small bag of a peat based seed compost, the peat free stuff is just too difficult to keep seedlings alive and healthy in.

I have found that keeping moisture levels right for seed sowing and seedlings is the hardest thing with the peat free.

I do spend a bit more on a good compost for this, purpose and mix in leaf mould or compost from the wormery to improve it.

For mulching and pots I buy in big bags from a local company (I have a big garden) and use my own home made compost as well.

That is generally acknowledged as the hardest thing industry wide. You can get something called a wetting agent to help in the first place then need to get a feel for weight of pots or check underneath the top layer whether it has dried out or not