Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Multi purpose compost buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You have empty patio pots, a hanging basket that dried out over winter, and a list of bags that all say multi-purpose. This multi purpose compost buying guide is the order to use before you add one to the basket: the job, then the peat wording, then the litres and the pack count, then what reviewers say about texture and water. Price per litre comes last. The five bags on the [compost soil comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/compost-soil) are the worked example, with amazon.co.uk prices in pounds. A live look at the Growmoor 50 litre page on 19 October 2026 showed about £8.53 and a different review count.

You have empty patio pots, a hanging basket that dried out over winter, and a list of bags that all say multi-purpose.

Our top picks

Munnie Munnie multi-purpose compost 60 L

Best overall

Munnie Munnie multi-purpose compost 60 L
8.0/10about £9.34
View offer
Growmoor Growmoor multi-purpose compost 50 L

Rank 2

Growmoor Growmoor multi-purpose compost 50 L
8.5/10about £9.25
View offer
Growmoor Growmoor multi-purpose compost 180 L

Alternative

Growmoor Growmoor multi-purpose compost 180 L
6.8/10about £30.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the job
  2. 2.Read the peat line, not the mood words
  3. 3.Litres, packs, and what you can carry
  4. 4.Texture and water, from the reviews

Start with the job

Multi-purpose compost is a potting mix for containers you will plant this season. The Royal Horticultural Society treats it as the mix for short-term pots, and it tells you not to spread potting compost across borders. John Innes is the soil-based choice when a shrub stays in the same pot for years. Every bag in this set is sold as multi-purpose. The Growmoor bullets name seeds, cuttings, containers, beds, borders, pots, and hanging baskets in one breath. If you are filling a basket for the summer, you are in the right aisle. If you meant to top-dress a lawn or open up a clay border, these litres will not do that work.

Read the peat line, not the mood words

Peat-free is a printed claim. The RHS says that if the bag does not say peat-free, you should not treat it as one, and that organic or environmentally friendly does not stand in for those words. None of the five listings prints peat-free, and none prints an NPK. Munnie’s 60 litre listing says the blend enables a reduction in the use of peat, and it names vermiculite and wetting agents. Growmoor’s bullets, on the 50 litre, 60 litre, and 180 litre listings, do not mention peat at all. One reviewer thinks the compost contains peat. That is a comment, not the label. If peat-free is a condition of the purchase, read peat-free compost in the UK before you compare pence.
Munnie Munnie multi-purpose compost 60 L

Testsieger

Munnie Munnie multi-purpose compost 60 L
8.0/10about £9.34
View offer

Litres, packs, and what you can carry

Plan from the litres the title states, then check the pack field, because the two do not always agree. On the listings the Growmoor 50 litre bag is £9.25, about 18.5p a litre, and the listed weight is 12 kg. The Growmoor 60 litre listing is £13.98, about 23.3p a litre, at 14 kg. Munnie is £9.34 for a stated 60 litres, about 15.6p a litre, the lowest pence per stated litre here. Laeto is £24.99 for a stated 120 litres, about 20.8p a litre, with no weight on the product data. The Growmoor 180 litre listing is titled as three 60 litre bags at £30.00, about 16.7p a litre. There is no listed weight.

Texture and water, from the reviews

In the Amazon reviews, the shared Growmoor block often describes a fine mix. Munnie reviews often describe a fine mix for seedlings, potatoes, and flowers. Laeto reviews include a fine mix that plants grew in, and a farmyard, mildew, or chemical smell that puts people off indoor use. On the Growmoor 180 litre listing, several reviewers say that once the compost is dry, water sits on the surface. Do not copy that complaint onto Munnie or Laeto. None of these five listings prints a feed duration, so do not assign a four-week or six-week feed to them. If the mix arrives dusty, wetting and filling is on how to use multi purpose compost.

Common questions

What should I check before I buy a bag of multi-purpose compost?
Check the job, then whether the bag prints peat-free, then the stated litres and the pack count, then the price per those litres. In this set none of the five listings prints peat-free or an NPK. The listed prices run from £9.25 for Growmoor 50 litres to £30.00 for the Growmoor 180 litre title. A star rating does not replace the pack field, and the two Growmoor single-bag listings share one review block.
How many litres do I need for pots on a balcony?
Use the bag litres you can carry, not a guessed fill for a pot the listing never measured. The Growmoor 50 litre bag lists 12 kg. Munnie lists 14.9 kg for a stated 60 litres, with a pack field that says 2. The 120 litre and 180 litre titles are larger fills only if the bags that arrive match the title.
Does organic or eco-friendly mean the bag is peat-free?
No. The RHS says organic and environmentally friendly do not mean peat-free, and that a bag which does not say peat-free most likely is not. Laeto uses organic without a certifier or a peat-free line. Munnie talks about a reduction in peat use, which is not the same sentence. If you need the words peat-free, these five listings do not supply them.
Why does one listing say 60 litres and also two packs?
Munnie’s listing states 60 litres and also Number of Packs 2, plus a unit count of 60,000 g. It does not say you will receive 120 litres. The price of £9.34 is about 15.6p per stated litre only if you count 60 litres. Check the parcel before you divide that volume across pots. A two-pack that is real would also change the weight you carry in from the doorstep.
Is a cheaper price per litre always the better bag?
No. Munnie is the lowest pence per stated litre here, and the Growmoor 60 litre listing is the highest at about 23.3p. The cheaper figure still loses if the pack count is unclear or you needed a peat-free line the listing does not print. The RHS also says not to spread potting compost on borders. A bullet that mentions seeds does not turn the bag into seed compost.

Related pages

Best compost soil

Multi-purpose or seed compost

Compost soil

How to use multi purpose compost in pots and baskets

Peat-free compost in the UK: what the bag must say

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the five stored amazon.co.uk listings. A later view of the 50 litre Growmoor listing on 19 October 2026 differed; the table keeps the stored figures. Peat-free, organic and volume lines are seller claims unless a review contradicts them. This is not a laboratory test.

  1. RHS, peat-free compost choices (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS, peat-free compost for seeds and cuttings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. RHS, John Innes compost (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Defra, horticultural peat announcement, 27 August 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Defra written answer on the peat ban, 12 September 2024 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Horticultural peat bill, Parliament (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Public Health Scotland, gardening safely (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. RHS, minimising health risks in the garden (retrieved 19 October 2026)