A Great Guide to Composting

If you Google the word garden compost, you will find an amazing range of garden composts are available. So how do you know which compost to choose, and what to use it for? Continue reading for a fast guide to garden compost types.

Peat-based and peat-free garden composts

Peat-free garden compost use has actually ended up being a really big issue for gardeners in the last few years. Naturally we all want to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free composts as effective? The good news is that now there are a lot of peat-free alternatives out there that are basically as trusted as peat-based composts. The options are typically based on loam, coconut shell, animal manure and straw or recycled waste. Recycled waste garden compost tends to be made by local authorities by composting all our food waste at very heats to damage any germs and viruses, so there is lots of it about.

Mushroom garden compost

Mushroom compost is a great peat-free compost, suitable for growing vegetables or as a soil improver. It usually includes composted farming straw and animal manure, and has been used for growing mushrooms, for this reason the name. Do not fret, it will have been sterilised to get rid of any spores! You can't get it all over, but it is available from professional garden compost providers.

Mushroom and manure garden compost

This is mushroom compost mixed with straw-based animal (livestock and poultry) manure, so it's really mushroom garden compost with a higher percentage of straw and manure Like mushroom compost, it's an exceptional soil improver, and can be used for a lot of non-ericaceous plants. Not just does it enhance soil structure, but it includes plenty of nutrients to the soil. Again, it may not be commonly available from garden centres, but you can buy it from specialist compost providers.

Farmyard manure.

Not precisely a garden compost as such, but a beneficial soil improver, as it adds organic matter to the soil. This is especially great if you have extremely sandy or heavy clay soils, as it will enhance the texture of the soil. You will need to make sure that the manure is well-rotted before use (you'll know, because well-rotted manure does not really smell at all).

Multipurpose garden compost

Generally readily available in both peat-based and peat-free options, multi-purpose compost is the go-to alternative if you are not really sure what to buy. There is no usually concurred formula, so you can't be absolutely certain what you are getting. Some types will not be great for growing seeds, as the particles are too big, but otherwise it will probably work pretty well for most plants. You can buy multi-purpose garden compost at garden centres.

Soil-based garden composts

The best understood of the soil or loam-based composts are probably the John Innes composts, No1, No2, and No3. These were developed by the John Innes Institute, and supply all the nutrients that plants in different phases need to grow well. Some multi-purpose composts declare to have added John Innes. There is no concurred definition of what this implies, although it promises that they contain some loam and perhaps some included fertiliser or nutrients.

Ericaceous compost

An unique blend of garden compost appropriate for lime-hating plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, ericaceous garden compost is extensively available from garden centres and garden compost providers. Best not used for plants aside from ericaceous plants though.

Topsoil

Worth consisting of in the round-up, as it's an affordable option to compost for most functions, this is essentially good quality fertile garden soil. The majority of plants really like it, and it is available in numerous solutions, for instance, for veggies or for basic use, and 3 qualities, economy, basic purpose and premium. It's a reasonably economical growing medium, and can also be used to bulk out bought composts, or as a soil improver in its own right.

Hopefully this brief guide has provided you a better idea of what's readily available from compost providers, and given you the self-confidence to head out and buy garden compost with a better understanding of what you are getting. Happy gardening.

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