Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Evergreen Peat Free Compost

Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
in Problem solving
Anyone tried this?

I've used New Horizon in previous years with no issues but the only peat free stuff my (new to me) local garden centre has is this and I feel like I've had too many issues to be a coincidence. 

This is a seed tray of foxgloves and campanula. It's not easy to see but there are a decent number of seedlings although I sowed these on 20th June! Progress is slow to say the least as these germinated weeks ago-



I sowed salvia, basil and lupin seeds and they've all seemingly stalled after potting on/pricking out as required. Dahlias have been properly slow to get going this year as well.


«1

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    It looks more like mulch than compost😒
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    To be fair any peat free compost I've used looks like that. The texture wasn't a concern.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    For seeds (and a lot of potting) I’m mixing a fair bit of topsoil with the peatfree compost. Probably more or less 59:50.  I find it just works better … plants seem to do better … and it doesn’t dry out to a sort of cardboard and become impossible to get wet again 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    For seeds I would sieve it. A faff, I know.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I think the problem was sowing the seeds in June,  not much germinates in the summer,  spring and autumn are the time for seeds,  as you say, they’ve germinated and stopped,  they would have done that in any compost,  I’m sure  the heat has stopped them.

    Think of nature,  the seeds would only just have fallen from the foxgloves.  They wouldn’t be naturally germinating yet.

    If you have anymore seeds,  sow them at the mid to end of September or keep until March next year. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    How do the seeds know it's June? ( serious question😊)
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Little bit warm I would think,  think of Mother Nature when you sow your seeds,  when do you see everything shooting in your garden?  Spring? Or you can sow them in autumn,  when flowers in the garden have dropped their seeds,  not much drops seed  and starts to shoot in June,  it’s  too hot and dry. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Not sure I buy that given experience- June is a typical month for sowing biennials, especially foxgloves, and I've never had issues before. I've likely done them in July too.

    The idea being sowing in June gives plenty of time to get decent sized plants into the ground in autumn.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Seeds sown in March will give the size of plants for autumn planting,  sown later will be for spring planting.
    but keep trying,  I’m sure some will germinate and grow for you. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    I don't buy peat free compost when I have the choice. Of course that makes me the devil incarnate...especially on a gardening forum.. but when you consider the RHS are "phasing it out" by 2025 and won't be banned for pro use until 2028, I'm sorry but don't feel overly guilty. 
Sign In or Register to comment.