[Growster...]

I'm getting rotten germination from bagged compost which is made up of everything under the sun except peat...

Luckily, our local GC is still stocking proper Jack's Magic, but I tried using some new stuff for simple seed sowing for veg like salad leaves, lamb's lettuce and beetroot, and they are a miserable failure this year! These are sown in trays a few weeks apart for continuation, and the system used to work pretty well when we had some decent compost, but I tried a couple of bags of the new 'green' stuff, and (to mix a metaphor), it just doesn't 'cut the mustard'!

Anyone else getting the picture?

[mumofstig]

I watched a programme over the last few weeks (can't remember which one, to provide a link, sorry) but Carol Klein said that peat-free composts aren't as good unless they're the professional/expensive ones, such as FertileFibre but that's £24 if you only need 1 bag 
https://www.fertilefibre.com/collections/compost/products/fertile-fibre-seed-compost?variant=41401985138847

[snowdrops]

I’m using Sylvagrow & have found it to be good.
We’re selling it for £8 a 50ltr bag at the gardening club store

[AnneB]

I had good results with Sylvagrow last year.
This year our allotment society bought Happy peat free compost at a competitive price of £5.25 for 50 litres. It has been excellent, with all bags sold.  Sadly we now hear that they have ceased production.  However the business has been bought so hopefully a replacement will be suitable.

[Yorkie]

We had a pallet load of Happy peat free as well as the usual stock of Sylvagrow - I do prefer the Sylvagrow, but for the reduced price and if use for potting on rather than seeds, the Happy was surprisingly OK.

[Growster...]

Interesting about Sylvagrow - I'm in our GC on Monday and will ask her, because I've not seen it there! They're quite worried about the situation with peat-free, and a lot of gardeners are getting confused!

There was another 'new' John Innes on order, but I need to look at what's in it, as I've never gone down (up?) their numbers from one to three, before...

One thing's for certain - that I'm making sure we have our own compost heaps in better condition than before!

[cc]

Odd how people struggle with peat free but if sown direct they have no problems?. For salad leaves I expect just as good sown direct. Of course I am not counting the actual germination numbers but happy with the results.

[AnneB]

We had a pallet load of Happy peat free as well as the usual stock of Sylvagrow - I do prefer the Sylvagrow, but for the reduced price and if use for potting on rather than seeds, the Happy was surprisingly OK.

The Happy Compost had more twig content than Sylvagrow but I used it both for potting on, final pots for tomatoes etc and also for seed sowing and had no issues with it at all. 

[hasbeans]

I find peat-free just doesn't hold moisture as well as peated and suspect the more expensive ones have a good dose of vermiculite or similar to help.  The woodier stuff also might have a nitrogen shortage if it's not rotted enough.

[coldandwindy]

Bear in mind its Sunday morning & I'm sitting in the sun, musing over my coffee and Jammy Dodger ....

Bagged composts (and garden centres for that matter) are a very new thing compared to the hundreds (thousands?) of years that people have been raising their own food on a little plot. I'm sure they didn't all have tiny, shrunken, pathetic little plants, hanging on over the centuries longing for the invention of Miraclegrow!

Rather than shout about how "they" haven't got their act together to sell us a peat-free bag, could we better organise our composting and rummage out Grandad's potting mix recipes? 
 
Just a thought!

[mumofstig]

could we better organise our composting and rummage out Grandad's potting mix recipes? 
 
Just a thought!

My dad never grew anything in pots/compost, as we do nowadays. Everything was either sown direct where it was to grow, or in a small seed bed, where the soil was sieved every few years (to remove the stones that had risen to the surface) and then transplanted. The only exception was runner beans, those, he bought as v. small plants, by the dozen, from a market stall and brought them home wrapped in newspaper, to plant in the garden.
Then again, he never grew anything that needed starting in a greenhouse, so no tomatoes, no sweetcorn, cucumbers etc...

[coldandwindy]

could we better organise our composting and rummage out Grandad's potting mix recipes? 
 
Just a thought!

My dad never grew anything in pots/compost, as we do nowadays. Everything was either sown direct where it was to grow, or in a small seed bed, where the soil was sieved every few years (to remove the stones that had risen to the surface) and then transplanted. The only exception was runner beans, those, he bought as v. small plants, by the dozen, from a market stall and brought them home wrapped in newspaper, to plant in the garden.
Then again, he never grew anything that needed starting in a greenhouse, so no tomatoes, no sweetcorn, cucumbers etc...

My Grandad used a seed bed for brassicas but tomatoes and also leeks and onions he had his own recipe.

Oh yes! I remember buying wallflowers in newspaper from the market!

[Growster...]

I guess my main growing area has more peat in it than soil these days, as every year, I chuck all the compost from the empty pots on there and till it with the Mantis!

So when peat is banned next year, I'll still have the remnants for a few years, and anyway, I'm stocking up on Jack's Magic, so don't think I'll be worrying too much! One other small growing area at The Turrets is in fact the old compost heap from several years ago, and it still looks like a peat bed, and certainly holds water incredibly well, despite being a raised bed!

I might try some of the more expensive bagged stuff though, and mix it with a little of the JM which should solve the problem for a few years, after that, who knows, there may be a new kid on the block by then!

[Growster...]

Just got back from the GC.

They don't stock Sylvagrow, or any equivalent, but it seems that when manufacturers have to provide peat-free stuff from next year, there may well be a period while they knock out the various coir etc., mixtures, but make customers consider an additive for water retention, maybe even extra nutrients too!

Makes sense I suppose, but it'll all cost more of course, and I still shudder at seeing those little gel pellets sometimes spilling out of pots and hanging baskets in a gloopy mess...

[snowdrops]

I attended Glee (trade show) at the NEC last week . Had some very interesting conversations with various compost suppliers/manufacturers. Have left my contact details so hoping they do as they said & make contact with me. There was a new one on me Brontë that sounded promising, I got given a small sample, but haven’t used it yet, I’m waiting to see what I can sow in it. I’ll update here when I do.
The ban to retail to home gardeners comes into force at the end of 2024 I’m reliably informed .