If you Google the word compost, you will find an amazing variety of garden composts are readily available. So how do you which garden compost to choose, and what to use it for? Keep reading for a quick guide to compost types.
Peat-based and peat-free garden composts
Peat-free garden compost use has become a really huge problem for gardeners in the last few years. Naturally all of us want to be environmentally-friendly, but are peat-free composts as effective? Fortunately is that now there are plenty of peat-free alternatives out there that are basically as dependable as peat-based composts. The alternatives are typically 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 really heats to damage any bacteria and infections, so there is lots of it about.
Mushroom garden compost
Mushroom compost is a very good peat-free compost, ideal for growing veggies or as a soil improver. It generally includes composted farming straw and animal manure, and has actually been used for growing mushrooms, hence the name. Don't worry, it will have been sterilised to eliminate any spores! You can't get it all over, but it is readily available from specialist 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 greater proportion of straw and manure Like mushroom compost, it's an exceptional soil improver, and can be used for the majority of non-ericaceous plants. Not only does it enhance soil structure, but it adds plenty of nutrients to the soil. Again, it may not be widely available from garden centres, but you can buy it from expert compost providers.
Farmyard manure.
Not exactly a 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, due to the fact that well-rotted manure doesn't really smell at all).
Multipurpose compost
Usually offered 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 generally agreed formula, so you can't be definitely specific 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 many plants. You can buy multi-purpose garden compost at garden centres.
Soil-based garden composts
The very 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 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 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 widely 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 the majority of functions, this is essentially good quality loamy garden soil. The majority of plants really like it, and it is available in a number of formulas, for example, for vegetables or for general use, and 3 qualities, economy, basic purpose 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 quick guide has given you a better idea of what's readily available from compost providers, and given you the confidence to go out and buy garden compost with a much better understanding of what you are getting. Pleased gardening.
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