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Another day, another compost test, we have looked at Aldi's compost and the super cheap Supagrow so far - now it's time to check out Lidl's offering!
Video
If you prefer to watch a video rather than read the article, don't worry—you can find this article in video form below!
Looking Through
I tipped the compost into a tray to get started and had a good rummage through. The compost was woody (all cheap peat-free composts seem to be) but also nice and crumbly.
There were zero foreign objects in the couple of bags I went through doing this test, which is fantastic.
My overall impression so far is excellent; this is a lovely crumbly compost with nothing in there that shouldn't be. Perfect start, especially considering the price.
Nutrient Testing
Now it is time to move on to the nutrient testing. The usual caveats apply here. While I am using a professional-grade soil testing kit from Hannah Instruments, I am in no way a professional and have no scientific training. Many mistakes could have been made, so take the results with a pinch of salt!
First up we have the nitrogen test and the compost performed very well with a dark purple result and a high score.
Wehn it comes to phosphorus we once again got a high score.
And then the final test to round of the NPK is of course potassium, which once again scored high.
So three out of three highs, the perfect score. This probably means they are adding some form of fertiliser to this compost but you can't complain with those results at these prices!
The Growth Test
You can never truly know how well a compost will work until you test it. So I have sown a range of different seeds into this one and also have an established tomato plant planted into a large container full of the stuff.
It's a little early to have any results from this yet, so you will have to check back in a few weeks.
Is It Any Good?
So, what do I think? Overall, I was very impressed with this compost and would happily pick some up if I were in need.
It is not organic, and I do like to garden organically, so that probably means I won't use it too much. But if that doesn't matter too much, then this is a great bargain to pick up whenever you are near a Lidl!
Geoffrey Kenward says
I have 2 acres ans a 60 foot greenhouse. Last year I bought a lot of Lidl compost since the year prior to that I had been pleased with it. Last year though 4 sowings of leeks failed as did a variety of other seeds. Two acers died in it, those were valuable trees. Tomatoes failed. The stuff was oily very black and formed solid when dry.
I concluded that it had some chemical in it, probably grass treatment with weedkiller. I took what I had left back, having had a conversation with customer care. My money was refunded with no issues. Never again. This year I used B&Q muti purpose and that was better but not good, Leeks again suffered, beans rotted, toms and courgettes/squashes did not like it. I then mixed it with leaf mold and garden soil, much better. I sow beans in individual cells because we have a mouse problem, so they were in the greenhouse. I have been gardening for 55 years an never have I had so many issues. Another problem I have recently found is the seed merchants, notably T&M sell parsnip seeds with quite a long sow by date. These failed two years running. Parsnips need to be very fresh. When I complained showing tests on damp tissue done quite scientifically, they sent me some more with a later date. These came up quite readily for parsnips. The merchants should know that some seeds need to be fresh.