A Easy Guide to Composting

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If you Google the word garden compost, you will find a fantastic range of garden composts are available. So how do you know which garden compost to select, and what to use it for? Read on for a fast guide to compost types.


Peat-based and peat-free composts


Peat-free garden compost use has ended up being a really big issue for gardeners in the last few years. Naturally all of us want to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free composts as efficient? The bright side is that now there are plenty of peat-free alternatives out there that are pretty much as dependable as peat-based composts. The options are normally 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 extremely high temperatures to damage any bacteria and infections, so there is a lot of it about.


Mushroom compost


Mushroom garden compost is a very good peat-free garden compost, perfect for growing veggies or as a soil improver. It typically includes composted agricultural straw and animal manure, and has actually been used for growing mushrooms, thus the name. Do not stress, it will have been sterilised to get rid of any spores! You can't get it everywhere, but it is readily available from specialist garden compost suppliers.


Mushroom and manure garden compost


This is mushroom garden compost blended with straw-based animal (livestock and poultry) manure, so it's really mushroom garden compost with a greater percentage of straw and manure Like mushroom garden compost, it's an exceptional soil improver, and can be used for a lot of non-ericaceous plants. Not only does it enhance soil structure, but it adds lots of nutrients to the soil. Again, it might not be extensively offered from garden centres, but you can buy it from professional compost providers.


Farmyard manure.


Not exactly a garden compost as such, but an useful soil improver, as it adds organic matter to the soil. This is particularly good if you have extremely sandy or heavy clay soils, as it will improve the texture of the soil. You will need to ensure that the manure is well-rotted before use (you'll know, because well-rotted manure doesn't really smell at all).


Multipurpose compost


Generally readily available in both peat-based and peat-free options, multi-purpose compost is the go-to option if you are not really sure what to buy. There is no normally agreed formula, so you can't be absolutely certain what you are getting. Some types won't be very good for growing seeds, as the particles are too big, but otherwise it will most likely work quite well for a lot of 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 most likely the John Innes composts, No1, No2, and No3. These were established by the John Innes Institute, and supply all the nutrients that plants in different stages need to grow well. Some multi-purpose garden composts declare to have included John Innes. There is no agreed meaning of what this means, although it promises that they include some loam and possibly some included fertiliser or nutrients.


Ericaceous compost


A special mix of compost suitable for lime-hating plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, ericaceous garden compost is extensively offered from garden centres and garden compost providers. Best not used for plants besides ericaceous plants though.


Topsoil


Worth consisting of in the round-up, as it's a sensible option to compost for most purposes, this is essentially good quality loamy garden soil. Many plants really like it, and it is available in several solutions, for example, for veggies or for general use, and three qualities, economy, basic function and premium. It's a fairly affordable growing medium, and can also be used to bulk out purchased composts, or as a soil improver in its own right.


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


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