South Milford & Lumby

North Yorkshire

Gardening Hints for May

Sitting in front of a glowing fire, a cold summer’s day may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but with a location like Shetland, a fire of peats and ‘Weet Smush’ (misty rain) outside the atmosphere takes on a form of pleasant retreat. You know bad weather won’t last but you are assured of one thing; keeping the fire supplied with peat blocks will assure you of steady warmth!

The same can be said of peat used for gardening purposes. On the whole it is very reliable and gives very even results. On occasion it does let you down; in a situation where it is difficult to control the amount of water it gets or the need to constantly top up its nutrient levels. Several comments have been made recently about the loss of plants and seedlings. Peat compost has not had time to dry out and remains wet for long periods. So take care how you use and apply water carefully. The old adage applies: water thoroughly but allow the compost to dry out whilst maintaining some dampness. Pouring water on water is bad news.

If you are not sure about peat then try the John Innes (JI) potting mix. John Innes is not about a particular supplier/manufacturer it is a compost which has certain proportions of good loam soil (7) peat (3) and sand (2) mixed together and has a mixture of fertilizers added to it called John Innes Base. This base fertilizer contains slow release Hoof and Horn (N), Superphosphate (P) and Sulphate of Potash (K). There is an addition of 20 grams of ground limestone to the bushel (what?), (1 pound to the cubic yard or half a kilo to 0.75 M3); to offset the acid peat in the mix.

Three compost mixes exist, depending on the level of JI Base added. JIC potting 3 would have three proportions of the base fertilizer added and used for plants like shrubs and trees which remain in containers for long periods. We have the major elements; nitrogen, phosphate and potash and the other major and minor elements come from the good loam soil. JI Potting 1 might last a single season. The problem with peat composts is that they soon run out of energy and need to be topped up with fertilizer, despite the fact that they are easier and lighter to handle.

You can always try a halfway house and mix JIC with Peat. It’s all a bit of guesswork: ensuring that plants get sufficient feeding. So out with the ‘Miracle Grow’ and the ‘Phostrogen’!

We have the use of recycled composts which are appearing more in the garden centres. I must say I favour peat not recycled waste, but if you have seen the Holm Post in Lincolnshire and viewed the loss of peat in a century plus by Agricultural cultivations you may plump for the recycles. The obsession with peat conservation seems to be reserved just for the UK not the rest of the world but it’s still exciting to hear the David Bellamy’s and the Peter Seabrook’s ‘having a go’ on conservation!

Yorkshire landscape Gardens

dave@daviddmitchell.co.uk