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 test, which the water-retention figures confirm. The water-holding capacity of 5.3 times dry weight is genuinely good — better than many products at twice the price. Drying took around 25 minutes, which is average. The sieve result is interesting: a fair proportion of the material is held in the mid-fraction (2–10mm), consistent with the fibrous structure. My working hypothesis is that this shares a supply chain with one or more Westland products — the fibre type and distribution look very similar. For the price, this is a strong performer on moisture behaviour. The trade-off is that the fibrous fraction will make it less suitable for fine seed work or top-dressing lawns.
Quick-test data (April 2026)
| Metric | Band | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk density (dry) | L | 0.12 g/ml | Very light — high fibre and air-space structure |
| Water held per g dry weight (WHC) | H | 5.3× | High — above typical organic range |
| Dry-down time | — | 25 min | Average across test group |
| Sieve: <2mm fraction | — | 49.4% | Moderate fine fraction |
| Sieve: 2–10mm fraction | — | 40.5% | Moderate — balanced distribution |
| Sieve: >10mm fraction | — | 7.1% | Low-moderate coarse fraction |
| Price per litre | Budget | £0.10 | Supermarket own-brand — bought in store, no P&P |
WHC is elevated by the fibrous wood structure trapping free air-space water rather than humic binding — consistent with the low dry BD and the 25-minute dry-down. Good retention in practice, but less drought-resilient than a humic-rich compost at the same WHC figure.
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Comparative hands-on testing, April 2026. Consistent method across all 18 products. See methodology note.
At-a-glance rating breakdown
| Category | Weight | Score |
| Ease of use | 40% | 6.5 |
| Composition & quality | 35% | 5.8 |
| Sustainability | 25% | 6.6 |
| Overall (weighted) | 100% | 6.3 / 10 |
Strengths & limitations
What we liked
- Clear “all plant” positioning for general garden tasks.
- Peat-free product.
Points to consider
- As with most wood-fibre-based composts, feeding may be required after establishment.
Our conclusion
Typical Aldi approach: single product, good spec, almost ‘middle aisle’ stock in volume when needed (Spring!). It has its place and is good value for money.
