Using and making compost

Spring is here (just about!) when the gardener’s thoughts turn to planting and, especially if you use pots or containers, what to plant them in. Which means compost. If you’re new to gardening then compost is compost isn’t it? Look more closely though and you’ll see there are loads of varieties - sowing, potting, garden, manure, peat, peat free and so on. They’re all decomposed or partly decomposed organic matter but what they’re made from is important, seed compost is fine texture and has few nutrients, potting compost is a bit bulkier and has slow release nutrients, mulch is quite coarse and often has woodchip in and manure based composts are rich in nutrients and great for veggies and hungry plants.

The big thing to look out for though is that any compost you buy has the magic words peat free on it, not reduced peat but peat free. Peat has been used as the base for most composts for the last 60 years or so and we’ve become addicted to it, but it needs to stay in the ground where it absorbs carbon dioxide and holds water, helping to prevent floods. There are some great peat free composts available and they get better every year.

Even better than that is making your own compost, there is no witchcraft involved, just adding a balance of plant material and giving it a turn or mix every few weeks. It’s great for the environment as no fossil fuels are used to move or process your garden waste, you recycle nutrients in the garden, it creates new wildlife habitat and to top it all it’s free. The key is not having too much green material like grass clippings (you get a wet slimy mess) or too much brown material like stems, twigs and leaves (it will be too dry and never get going), about 50:50 is what you’re aiming for. Depending on how much you add, how often you turn it, time of year and a few other variables it will take anything from 2-6 months in most cases to get usable compost; the longer you can leave it the better it will be.

If you’re a bit unsure there is loads of info on the web or we can come out to see you, we’ll find the system that works best for you and get you composting in no time.