If you Google the word compost, you will find an amazing variety of garden composts are available. So how do you 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 actually become a really big problem for garden enthusiasts in the last few years. Of course all of us want to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free composts as efficient? Fortunately is that now there are plenty of peat-free alternatives out there that are practically as dependable as peat-based composts. The options are normally based on loam, coconut shell, animal manure and straw or recycled waste. Recycled waste compost tends to be made by local authorities by composting all our food waste at really high temperatures to ruin any bacteria and viruses, so there is a lot of it about.
Mushroom compost
Mushroom garden compost is a great peat-free compost, perfect for growing vegetables or as a soil improver. It typically consists of composted agricultural straw and animal manure, and has actually been used for growing mushrooms, for this reason the name. Do not worry, it will have been sterilised to remove any spores! You can't get it everywhere, but it is readily available from professional garden compost providers.
Mushroom and manure garden compost
This is mushroom compost blended with straw-based animal (cattle 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 only does it improve soil structure, but it adds plenty of nutrients to the soil. Again, it may not be widely offered from garden centres, but you can buy it from specialist garden compost providers.
Farmyard manure.
Not exactly a garden compost as such, but a helpful soil improver, as it adds organic matter to the soil. This is particularly good if you have very 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
Usually readily available in both peat-based and peat-free options, multi-purpose garden compost is the go-to alternative if you are not really sure what to buy. There is no normally concurred formula, so you can't be definitely particular 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 pretty well for most plants. You can buy multi-purpose garden compost at garden centres.
Soil-based composts
The best understood of the soil or loam-based garden composts are probably 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 phases need to grow well. Some multi-purpose composts claim to have included John Innes. There is no agreed definition of what this indicates, although it seems likely that they consist of some loam and maybe some included fertiliser or nutrients.
Ericaceous garden compost
An unique mix of compost suitable for lime-hating plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, ericaceous compost is widely available from garden centres and compost providers. Best not used for plants aside from ericaceous plants though.
Topsoil
Worth including in the round-up, as it's an affordable alternative to compost for the majority of purposes, this is generally good quality loamy garden soil. A lot of plants really like it, and it comes in a number of formulas, for instance, for veggies or for general use, and three qualities, economy, basic purpose and premium. It's a relatively affordable growing medium, and can also be used to bulk out bought composts, or as a soil improver in its own right.
Ideally this short guide has actually provided you a better concept of what's readily available from compost suppliers, and offered you the self-confidence to go out and buy compost with a better understanding of what you are getting. Delighted gardening.
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