If you Google the word garden compost, you will find a remarkable variety of garden composts are readily available. So how do you have knowledge of which garden compost to select, and what to use it for? Read on for a quick guide to compost types.
Peat-based and peat-free garden composts
Peat-free compost use has actually ended up being a really big issue for gardeners over the last few years. Of course all of us wish to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free composts as efficient? Fortunately is that now there are a lot of peat-free alternatives out there that are practically as trustworthy as peat-based garden composts. The options are usually 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 destroy any germs and viruses, so there is a lot of it about.
Mushroom compost
Mushroom garden compost is a very good peat-free garden compost, suitable for growing vegetables or as a soil improver. It typically consists of composted agricultural straw and animal manure, and has been used for growing mushrooms, thus the name. Do not fret, it will have been sterilised to eliminate any spores! You can't get it all over, but it is available from specialist garden compost providers.
Mushroom and manure garden compost
This is mushroom garden compost blended with straw-based animal (cattle and poultry) manure, so it's really mushroom compost with a higher proportion of straw and manure Like mushroom garden compost, it's an excellent soil improver, and can be used for most non-ericaceous plants. Not only does it enhance soil structure, but it includes plenty of nutrients to the soil. Again, it might not be extensively offered from garden centres, but you can buy it from specialist compost providers.
Farmyard manure.
Not precisely a compost as such, but an useful soil improver, as it includes raw material to the soil. This is especially great 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 understand, since well-rotted manure does not really smell at all).
Multipurpose garden compost
Typically offered in both peat-based and peat-free alternatives, multi-purpose compost is the go-to option if you are not really sure what to buy. There is no typically concurred formula, so you can't be absolutely certain what you are getting. Some types will not be excellent 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 compost at garden centres.
Soil-based garden composts
The best known 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 provide 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 indicates, although it seems likely that they contain some loam and perhaps some added fertiliser or nutrients.
Ericaceous garden compost
A special mix of compost appropriate for lime-hating plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, ericaceous garden compost is extensively readily available from garden centres and garden compost suppliers. Best not used for plants aside from ericaceous plants though.
Topsoil
Worth including in the round-up, as it's a reasonable option to compost for a lot of functions, this is generally good quality loamy garden soil. A lot of plants really like it, and it comes in numerous solutions, for example, for vegetables or for basic use, and three qualities, economy, general function and premium. It's a reasonably affordable growing medium, and can also be used to bulk out purchased composts, or as a soil improver in its own right.
Ideally this short guide has given you a better idea of what's readily available from garden compost suppliers, and given you the self-confidence to head out and buy compost with a better understanding of what you are getting. Pleased gardening.
