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Peat free compost
Trinnywoos
Posts: 6
in Talkback
Hello everyone
I am a beginner gardener, I have a small court yard that gets very hot in the summer and I would like to know what plants I could grow in pots with peat free compost and don't need a lot of looking after.
many thanks.
0
Posts
Welcome Trinnywoos.
Any reason you don't want to use peat based compost?
Maybe for these reasons: http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/features/story.aspx?id=1790
It's good that you are starting off well by not using peat. There's a wide choice of what you can grow in peat-free composts - it depends if you want something edible or ornamental (though the two aren't mutually exclusive). If it's the latter then it's a decision of what effect you want (architectural, blousy, twee) and when you want the flowering period to be or want the foliage at its best.
You will need to add materials to assist with drainage for many plants but you can possibly source grit, gravel and sand locally.
I'm not up on ornamentals. Perhaps the RHS Plant Finder can help you select plants.
Use a compost that has added coconut fiber (you can add it yourself - they sell the coconut coir in a dried brick form - or buy compost with it already added).. and consider adding (the correct amount of) water retaining gel beads. These will really help with watering and rewetting when/if things have dried out too far. Use large size pots with with some sort of catchment underneath, in order to help with watering (so that when it's too dry the water doesn't run directly out the bottom of the pot along the edges without wetting all the soil). For example, a ceramic pot in a ceramic base plate. An hour after you water, if there is any water remaining in the bottom dish just dump it out.
My first choice of plants would be pelargoniums/geraniums. I love the kind with scented leaves.. so even when there is no flower, you can crush a bit of foliage between your fingers as you walk past and fill your nose with their smell.
Oleanders grow well in pots and don't need a lot of looking after. With Blue Onions advise on water retaining gel you will have beautiful plants all summer.
Regards