Blog
This month we are publishing the amazing story of Cara Thompson who went from never having grown a single plant in her life to winning a gold medal and the People’s Choice Award at the Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair in the space of just three years! We were very happy to have been part of…
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Compost is typically heavy, damp and usually stored outside at garden centres. So the packaging needs to be strong and resilient. At Melcourt we have been searching for alternatives to plastic but we and other manufacturers are yet to find anything that matches the efficiency of plastic. We currently incorporate 30% of recycled…
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You’ve opened a new bag of compost ready to get potting and suddenly see little white balls. But what are they? Surely not an infestation of fresh slug eggs? What are the tiny balls in the compost? You may have noticed small white balls in the compost when using it. We use a…
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Sometimes we get asked about the appearance of toadstools in SylvaGrow. If you see fungi in your compost, don’t panic! They’re our friends. From time to time, depending on climatic conditions, you may see mushrooms in your peat-free compost. For many people, this can be a concern. We are often told mushrooms and fungi…
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Melcourt’s Technical Director, Catherine Dawson, answers, “are all peat-free composts the same? Changing from a well-loved compost that you have used for years can feel challenging. The news that all sales of peat in composts sold to gardeners will be banned from 2024 is excellent for habitat conservation and climate change, but some gardeners who…
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Melcourt’s Technical Manager Victoria Wright talks about flies in compost, what they are and what to do about them. As you move houseplants inside for the winter or begin early seed sowing, you may notice little flies in compost, buzzing around the plants or running across the surface. These small, black flies are fungus gnats,…
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As the garden starts to wind down a bit for winter, we are often left wondering what I should do with used compost. The compost may no longer be fit for use in tubs and baskets, but it still holds a lot of value in the garden. So when you’re turning out your containers and…
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What could be nicer than enjoying your own freshly harvested potatoes at Christmas? With a little bit of care and attention this is perfectly possible in a SylvaGrow Planter! The principles of late-season potatoes are pretty similar to spring-planted ones. But it’s best to purchase seed potatoes that have been specially prepared for the…
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With rose season in full swing, Catherine Dawson shares advice for healthy, productive and peat-free garden roses Who can fail to be moved by the sight and scent of a beautiful rose in the June sunshine? Many roses give colour, scent and structural interest to the garden. You can buy containerized roses at all times…
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This British Tomato Fortnight, our technical manager Vicki Wright shares her tips for top-notch tomatoes… Home-grown tomatoes are a delicious and rewarding crop to grow for the summer. And whether you grow them undercover, in pots, or in the ground – there’s a few key things to remember to ensure your salads, sandwiches and sauces…
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Potting sheds, windowsills and greenhouses should be fit to burst with young plants. In this month’s garden blog, we show you how to prepare your seedlings for their next important steps… Pricking out Seeds sown close together in seed trays will compete for light and water and will require more spacious surroundings to stretch…
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This International Women’s Day, we talk to Catherine Dawson about women in horticulture and her role as Technical Director at Melcourt How did you get into the horticultural industry? I knew nothing about horticulture, other than having parents who were keen gardeners, when I joined bark company Cambark in the early 1980s. I had…
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