A Consistently Good Potting Compost

Over the years I have tried many potting composts, some good, some bad and some that varied between the two.  If money was no object, or I was a commercial grower, I would definitely use GroChar from Carbon Gold as there is no doubt that it produces wonderful results, but at more than double the price of other composts (plus delivery)  I’ve reluctantly found myself looking elsewhere. New Horizon used to be my preferred alternative, but in the last few years the formulation has changed and currently it is full of lumpy green waste and is not the compost it used to be.  My new favourite potting compost is SylvaGrow (£6.99 for a 50 litre bag) a professional peat free formulation that has been used by the National Trust,  RHS and the Eden Project for many years and is a favourite with commercial growers. It is now available to amateur gardeners.  You may need to hunt around to find a local stockists, but if we spread the word I’m sure it will become more freely available.  

By the way, whatever make of compost you buy  don’t be fobbed off with leftovers from last year, especially if it has been stacked out of doors – the nutrients will have leached out, it may well be sour and it certainly won’t (as I overheard in a garden centre) have more beneficial micro organisms thanks to hanging around in the cold and wet!