[celjaci]

I expect you've had the big peat/ no peat debate but as a newbie I missed it.

Was wondering what people's experiences of peat free compost were. I know there was some real rubbish around in the early days of alternatives to peat.
Whats your preference now?
Any horror stories? eg water management of all coir compost?
Any recipes for home made seed or potting compost?

[celjaci]

basically I'm still stuggling to find a peat free compost which performs as well as the peat ones.

I've tried Sinclairs New Horizon -  the bag looks great and ticks all the right boxes, ie peat free,  sustainable , organic etc  BUT I found it very coarse for seedlings. rather heavy on wood fibre and bark.

Also tried Fertile Fibre ( coir based ) quite expensive but water management was not easy, top dries out quickly while underneath is still very wet. Ended up loosing seedlings

I can't feel I can tust the 'own brand' peat free composts I imagine any old rubbish being put in.

So whats left?

[mumofstig]

Trying to help i bought  levingtons reduced peat  which was a lot more expensive.....but the lumps in it are so big i'm gonna have to sieve it for seed sowing, and it's supposed to be multi purpose. Because i have to have my compost delivered i bought 9x 70lt bags!
Do hope i'm not going to regret it. It's got water retaining granules in it so should be good for the baskets.
I think at the end of the year we should name the ones we used and either shame or recommend. Mind you they seem to change the ingredients year to year, cos i had a goodyear with wickes multi purp followed by a bad year.........so who knows

[Rampant_Weasel]

didnt really catch on to this...and have just bought some peat seed sowing compost from asda for £3
is this a allotment forum slapping offence?
and btw why is it bad to use the peaty stuff?

[wafflycat]

Last year, my first feeble attempt at growing *something* in pots in the garden, I had some ordinary multi-purpose peat-free compost and some that was peat-based. The peat-free stuff was *awful* It was full of stuff that didn't look well-rotted down. Loads of twiggy bits and lumpy stuff. I wasn't impressed.

[wafflycat]

didnt really catch on to this...and have just bought some peat seed sowing compost from asda for £3
is this a allotment forum slapping offence?
and btw why is it bad to use the peaty stuff?

Peat is a diminishing resource. Digging it up wrecks a valuable wild habitat that has taken thousands of years to create and is gone in a second. That's why peat alternatives are becoming available.

[Rampant_Weasel]

ok thanks, shall not use it in future then.

[richyrich7]

The biggest problem I've found is that all the alternative I've tried don't perform as well as peat    so I must admit if I want a really good sowing medium for something special it's homemade 50:50 peat: horticultural sand

[WebSiteEvo]

Mix in some vermiculite to your peat free compost to improve water retention. I also cover the surface with vermiculite to stop the soil drying to quickly.   

[mumofstig]

Mix in some vermiculite to your peat free compost to improve water retention

Trouble is too wet not too dry with the last 2 types i've tried

[WebSiteEvo]

too wet, mix sand and or perlite.

[WebSiteEvo]

I am now trying miracle grow organic (new formula!) .. Looks like the best I have tried so far, still a few twigs but not that bad at all.  I have mixed it with perlite for sowing. 

[mrs bouquet]

Trying to help i bought  levingtons reduced peat  which was a lot more expensive.....but the lumps in it are so big i'm gonna have to sieve it for seed sowing, and it's supposed to be multi purpose. Because i have to have my compost delivered i bought 9x 70lt bags!
Do hope i'm not going to regret it. It's got water retaining granules in it so should be good for the baskets.
I think at the end of the year we should name the ones we used and either shame or recommend. Mind you they seem to change the ingredients year to year, cos i had a goodyear with wickes multi purp followed by a bad year.........so who knows

I bought that levingtons last year, and the great big lumps in it were dreadful.  I had to finish up tipping each bag out, and then digging and hoeing it to break it down, and then sieving it.  With 62 pots and tubs, that was no gardening pleasure !!!.  Shan't be doing that again this year.   Mrs Bouquet

[Christine]

I suspect that the lumps come from the compost bags being stored on pallets - seems to encourage the stuff to set solid no matter what the brand.

It doesn't seem to stack like bags of flour or sugar for easy pouring 

[mumofstig]

 The lumps in the leavington's are lumps of 'matter' not lumps where the compost is stuck together. Mostly lumps of wood!!! and what looks like unrotted rope, all sort of stranded together stuff.
Certainly won't be buying it again for the money....after all it's not one of the cheaper brands on the market is it?