Author: Tony Callaghan

Brand: New Horizon MPC | Supplier: Westland | Price: £0.18/litre Personal observations New Horizon is the organic-certified line from Westland, and it has a distinctly different character to the standard Westland peat-free product tested alongside it. Light in the hand, and very fibrous — the highest proportion of any product retained in the 2–10mm sieve…

Brand: Growmoor MPC | Supplier: Bettergrowing.com | Price: £0.12/litre Personal observations This was the most surprising product in the test, and not in a good way. It is extraordinarily fine — the lightest dry bulk density in the entire test group alongside Miracle-Gro Moisture Control — and when wetted it forms a sludge-like layer on…

Brand: DaleFoot, Wool MPC | Supplier: Online | Price: £0.43/litre Personal observations Dalefoot is marketed around its unusual ingredient list — bracken, wool and comfrey — which makes it one of the more distinctive products in the test. Opening the bag, it looks surprisingly similar to other fine, dark composts at first glance. But on closer…

Brand: Westland PF John Innes No1 | Supplier: B&Q | Price: £0.17/litre Personal observations John Innes No. 1 is the seedling formulation — lower nutrient level, finer texture, designed for young plant roots. This Westland version has visible fine sand throughout, as expected for a JI mix. One thing I was not expecting: visible white…

Brand: Verve MPC | Supplier: B&Q | Price: £0.14/litre Personal observations Verve is B&Q’s own-brand compost, sitting below Miracle-Gro and Westland in the price hierarchy. Opening the bag, the first thing you notice is the high wood-fibre content — there is a lot of fluff, and after sieving a significant proportion of the material is…

Brand: Fertile Fibre MPC | Supplier: Via Amazon | Price: £0.60/litre Personal observations Fertile Fibre is in a different category to everything else in this test. It is clearly coir-based: light brown, very uniform, with visible coconut fibre strands and hard granules of shredded coconut shell. The vermiculite addition is obvious immediately — flat, pearlescent,…

Brand: Gardenline | Supplier: Aldi | Price: £0.10/litre Personal observations Opening the bag, this immediately appears as a wood-fibre-led product. The material is mid-brown, with visible fibre strands throughout — more than I expected. It forms a reasonable ball in the hand, and the moisture content on opening felt higher than most others in the…

Brand: Grandoli | Supplier: Lidl | Price: £0.10/litre Personal observations This was one of the better-looking budget composts in the test. Dark brown, very uniform, with no visible wood fibre at all — which stands out compared to many competitors in this price bracket. One small stone was visible after sieving, which strongly suggests a…