Peat free compost - shop-bought recommendations and DIY mixtures (for sweet peas and other stuff)

StephenSouthwest · March 2023

I get better germination with Sylvagrow MPC than I do with their organic.

Better still is half Sylvagrow MPC and half homemade sieved leafmould...

Fairygirl · March 2023

If you're doing sweet peas in containers once they're planted out @Tingers , they need a rich mixture, and lots of food and water to do well, so you can use a mix of manure and soil or something similar. If your garden soil is heavy, you can mix some grit or pea gravel through it too. Home made compost is fine too, but the manure is very helpful for them.
I have old turf in the base of pots, then a mix of manure [if I have it ] garden soil or any type of compost, and some slow release food. Later in the year they get tomato food. The tomato food is helpful if you're using commercial composts, as the nutrients are spent by mid to late summer. Old, or home made compost needs extra help too, as there isn't any value for heavy flowerers in it.

If you're buying compost - get a soil based one so that water is retained well. Even here, I have to water pots fairly regularly as the foliage prevents the rain getting in well enough.
For sowing - you can use almost anything, but again - a medium which doesn't dry out too readily if you're starting them indoors. I often use the previous year's spent compost mix

Dobbin26 · March 2023

I've bought a number of brands of peat free compost over the last few year's and I don't know if its due to demand, but I've not been happy with any of them. I've had glass, plastic indicator lenses, bits of pegs etc as well as bits of plastic bags. I'm a., for helping the environment but I'm fed up buying other people's rubbish. I've reverted momentarily back to peat based.

Peat free compost - shop-bought recommendations and DIY mixtures (for sweet peas and other stuff)

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