Every year, I sow various seeds into pots of multipurpose compost and
keep them indoors until ready to plant out. I've never had any weed
seedlings in the pots.

This year is different - I do have weeds. The only difference I can see
is that this year I'm using a well-known name instead of something from
a DIY shed.

Should I expect multipurpose compost to be sterile? Was I just lucky in
the past?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
Every year, I sow various seeds into pots of multipurpose compost and
keep them indoors until ready to plant out. I've never had any weed
seedlings in the pots.

This year is different - I do have weeds. The only difference I can see
is that this year I'm using a well-known name instead of something from
a DIY shed.

Should I expect multipurpose compost to be sterile? Was I just lucky in
the past?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/


Probably you have one of the newer peat-free or lower peat products, these
comntain composted material and in the past have been quite dirty .
No doubt this is the product of your green bin emptying programme.

Oveer the last few years I have tried low peat or peat free compost's and
the results have been dissappointing, in so far as more weed grwoth and
slower growth of plants.
Regards
Cineman.

cineman writes

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
Every year, I sow various seeds into pots of multipurpose compost and
keep them indoors until ready to plant out. I've never had any weed
seedlings in the pots.

This year is different - I do have weeds. The only difference I can see
is that this year I'm using a well-known name instead of something from
a DIY shed.

Should I expect multipurpose compost to be sterile? Was I just lucky in
the past?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/


Probably you have one of the newer peat-free or lower peat products, these
comntain composted material and in the past have been quite dirty .
No doubt this is the product of your green bin emptying programme.

Oveer the last few years I have tried low peat or peat free compost's and
the results have been dissappointing, in so far as more weed grwoth and
slower growth of plants.

I use a peat free compost with no weed problems. I'm surprised if
they're using green-bin compost. Most of them seem to based on either
coir or bark
--
Kay

I bought Miracle gro multi purpose compost a couple of weeks back and it's full of bits of paper and generally in a very poor state.
I bought the same product last year and it was great, worked a treat.
This batch seems to be compacted and full of 'rubbish'.
I'm gonna persavere with it hopefully not to the detrement of my young plants.

I got some seed and young plant compost from b and Q this year, it was quite a bit cheaper than better-known brands and my seedlings seem quite happy in it. The texture´s quite good too. They seem to have included a few peanuts too, which is ok because I can throw them out for the birds.