Problems with weeds in peat free potting compost

nickharr · May 2023

I have been using Levingtons Peat Free compost for the first time this year and I cannot believe how much weed seed is in it. My hanging baskets are growing well but with lots of weeds including nettles as well. It's certainly not confined to one bag as I have bought 20 - 10 in one purchase and 10 in another. The reply I had from Evergreen who make the compost said that it was probably a rogue batch but I was wondering if anyone had had the same problem or is this something we have to accept with peat free compost.

Winston_The_Gravity_Man · May 2023

There are lots and lots and lots of threads about this problem on the forum @nickharr, and the general concensus seems to be that peat free composts, with very few exceptions, are hopeless ... full of weed seeds, broken glass, pieces of wooden garden furniture, strips of shredded plastic, and all sorts of other garbage. And many people have lost seedlings, young and old plants, everything.

Lyn · May 2023

I sowed my runner beans in the Westland peat free today, I’ll be very annoyed if they don’t germinate.
Haven’t tried the Levingtons, they used to have such a good name, my mum wouldn’t use anything but Levingtons Professional, it’s steadily gone down hill over the years.

Was it cheaper to buy 10 bags, think I’d have bought 1 or 2 to try first knowing what peat free’s like these days.

Winston_The_Gravity_Man · May 2023

That was @nickharr 's problem though, @Lyn , he didn't know what peat free's like. And, to be fair, he should have been able to buy ten, or a hundred, or a thousand bags and been confident that it was all of good quality without weed seeds ! Rogue batch, my foot !

Fairygirl · May 2023

I think that shows that the base materials haven't had long enough to break down well enough in many cases. Commercial composts should be hot enough, and some are specifically heat treated, so that the problem doesn't exist. Bigger demand during the pandemic - more people deciding to garden etc, and therefore not enough compost available, so the products are poorer.
I think the entire compost industry needs to take a long hard look at what it's doing anyway. They've gradually produced loads and loads of 'different' products over the last coupe of decades [more money to be made that way] and most of the time- they simply aren't necessary IMO. As I said on another thread recently, if no one bought any compost for a year, perhaps things would change - and quite quickly.

debs64 · May 2023

@Fairygirl my fiancé would certainly be pleased he can’t understand why I buy so much “dirt” every year.

Fairygirl · May 2023

debs64 said:

@Fairygirl my fiancé would certainly be pleased he can’t understand why I buy so much “dirt” every year.

Of course, that's also because you aren't making your own either debs - how very lazy and thoughtless of you...

Hope your pots are all doing well

JennyJ · May 2023

I think any gardener with a typical small to medium-sized garden with anything but just grass and hedges will struggle to produce enough homemade compost for everything they want it for (mulching borders/beds, planting up containers, raising plants from seeds/cuttings, etc). I certainly wouldn't want to try to go a year with no bought-in potting compost.

Fairygirl · May 2023

Absolutely @JennyJ. If you even had just two or three decent sized containers [as I do for the sweet peas] and some smaller ones for sowing lettuce/toms and a few bits and bobs [as I do] and potting them on etc, that requires a fair old bit of filling.
When I was working full time, my garden had to be fairly low maintenance too, so there were far more shrubs than perennials. That means you don't have the amount of green material to make a reasonable quantity of compost, even if you're adding decent amounts of veg/fruit kitchen waste.

LunarSea · May 2023

JennyJ said:

I think any gardener with a typical small to medium-sized garden with anything but just grass and hedges will struggle to produce enough homemade compost for everything they want it for (mulching borders/beds, planting up containers, raising plants from seeds/cuttings, etc). I certainly wouldn't want to try to go a year with no bought-in potting compost.

Amazing how one thing can lead to another. For me last year started with the purchase of a tripod ladder to finally get on top of the overgrown shrub/trees (Laurel & a very invasive Berberis julianae that had reached a height of 15' through a Hawthorn tree). The combined amount of spoil was massive but I managed to shred down all but the biggest stems. Having filled my existing (and now well rotten) compost bays I then decided that a new system might be in order, so I invested in a new large plastic tongue & groove system. The first batch of compost (started in October), having spent some time at 60°C (and supplemented with horse muck) is now ready for use. It's looking like really good stuff. I've started an experiment with my tomato plants - some planted in bought compost, some in mine supplemented with slow-release fertiliser.

debs64 · May 2023

My garden is too small to find an unobtrusive corner for a compost bin I am afraid and I don’t think I would be very good at making it, seems a bit complicated. ( please don’t tell me how easy it is) I buy compost specifically for all my pots. I have been lucky enough to get some fairly good stuff including some from the milkman.

@Fairygirl my fiancé is pretty good natured and luckily has a van. He just looks a bit puzzled when I tell him I need to go shopping for compost. He was less happy about the 20 bags of well rotted horse manure. The pots are looking good but of course this year I added five more half barrels to the mix plus rhododendrons. Very naughty I know, all that watering. Thanks for your advice about sweet peas my plants are looking good this year. Would never have tried them in pots but I am following your instructions carefully and hoping for an abundance of flowers.

Problems with weeds in peat free potting compost

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