If you Google the word compost, you will find a remarkable range of composts are available. So how do you have knowledge of which garden compost to pick, and what to use it for? Read on for a fast guide to compost types.
Peat-based and peat-free garden composts
Peat-free compost use has become a really big problem for garden enthusiasts in recent years. Obviously all of us wish to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free garden composts as efficient? 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 normally based upon 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 ruin any germs and viruses, so there is plenty of it about.
Mushroom garden compost
Mushroom compost is an excellent peat-free compost, suitable for growing veggies or as a soil improver. It normally consists of composted farming straw and animal manure, and has actually been used for growing mushrooms, for this reason the name. Don’t stress, it will have been sterilised to remove any spores! You can’t get it everywhere, but it is readily available from expert garden compost suppliers.
Mushroom and manure garden compost
This is mushroom compost combined with straw-based animal (cattle and poultry) manure, so it’s really mushroom compost with a greater percentage of straw and manure Like mushroom compost, it’s an excellent soil improver, and can be used for many non-ericaceous plants. Not just does it improve soil structure, but it adds plenty of nutrients to the soil. Again, it might not be extensively offered from garden centres, but you can buy it from expert compost suppliers.
Farmyard manure.
Not precisely a garden compost as such, but a helpful soil improver, as it includes raw material to the soil. This is especially good if you have really sandy or heavy clay soils, as it will improve the texture of the soil. You will need to make certain that the manure is well-rotted before use (you’ll know, because well-rotted manure doesn’t really smell at all).
Multipurpose garden compost
Typically offered 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 agreed formula, so you can’t be definitely particular what you are getting. Some types will not be very good for growing seeds, as the particles are too huge, but otherwise it will probably work quite well for a lot of plants. You can buy multi-purpose compost at garden centres.
Soil-based garden composts
The best understood of the soil or loam-based garden composts are most likely the John Innes composts, No1, No2, and No3. These were established by the John Innes Institute, and offer all the nutrients that plants in different stages need to grow well. Some multi-purpose garden composts claim to have added John Innes. There is no agreed meaning of what this suggests, although it seems likely that they contain some loam and maybe some added fertiliser or nutrients.
Ericaceous compost
A special blend of compost ideal for lime-hating plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, ericaceous compost is widely readily available from garden centres and garden compost providers. Best not used for plants besides ericaceous plants however.
Topsoil
Worth consisting of in the round-up, as it’s an affordable option to compost for a lot of functions, this is basically good quality fertile garden soil. Many plants really like it, and it can be found in a number of formulations, for instance, for veggies or for basic use, and 3 qualities, economy, basic function and premium. It’s a reasonably inexpensive growing medium, and can also be used to bulk out purchased garden composts, or as a soil improver in its own right.
Hopefully this quick guide has offered you a better concept of what’s available from compost providers, and given you the confidence to head out and buy compost with a much better understanding of what you are getting. Pleased gardening.
Sharon Mastel 