Emma O’Neill, head gardener at sustainable gardening charity Garden Organic, shares her experience of using Melcourt composts in the organic demonstration garden at Ryton
Working at Garden Organic for more than seven years, I’ve used lot of compost products – all of which must be peat free and organic. Over the course of the season, we require both seed and potting compost to grow successfully, propagate and pot on. In addition, we need our compost to be approved by the Soil Association.
We use peat free because we believe preserving peatlands is a necessity to support the unique biodiversity that lives there. But peat-free composts also have more microbial activity, which aids plant growth and can help protect plants from disease. Good news for gardeners!
Why we use Melcourt SylvaGrow®
We’ve been using Melcourt’s SylvaGrow Organic compost for the last four years with plenty of success. We use it for propagation, such as softwood cuttings and division and potting-on (after seedlings have grown two true leaves). We also use it for our container garden, which is in situ all year and houses a variety of perennial flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit.
Overall, the performance has been good. We’ve found the texture and consistency to be easy to work with, with no big lumps and clumps. It provides plants with a decent amount of nutrients to get them growing and retains water well.
Rigorous testing and quality ingredients
We like SylvaGrow composts, because they consist of a blend of composted bark, coir, green compost and organic nutrients that will last for four to six weeks. Melcourt only use bark from sustainably managed sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
There’s also rigorous testing to make sure the consistency is there from one batch to the next – which is important when you’re running a busy organic demonstration garden. This includes continual product monitoring and trials undertaken by qualified and trained commercial horticulturists. The bags are 100% recyclable and now come with the date on them, so we know when they need to be used up. Finally, and importantly for us, SylvaGrow also has Soil Association approval.
It’s been a learning curve using peat-free compost. In particular, we’ve got to know how and when to water it, and when the plants will require additional feeding. As a rule of thumb, you need to learn what your peat-free compost feels like well-watered, testing with your finger in the compost and also lifting the pot to feel its weight. Often, plants that show chlorotic symptoms (yellowing leaves) will have been overwatered in the first instance.
We also store our compost undercover to maintain the integrity of the product, and always use it within one growing season.
The charity’s demonstration garden in Ryton, near Coventry, is open to the public between April and October on set open days. Head to gardenorganic.org.uk to book a guided tour. Here, you’ll also find organic gardening advice, workshops and how to become a member.
