Always worth the effort to protect the environment
Allotmenteers have a welldeserved reputation for being self-sufficient, we’re well known for being able to thrive on making do with what we have. Discarded pallets and windows will always find second lives as compost bins and cold frames. Cardboard laid flat and well-anchored makes a biodegradable weed suppressant on spare ground.
Even so, we do need to buy a few things for our allotments and the joy of being able to pick up a bag of seed compost at a garden centre says more to me about a return to normality than the relaxation of many other pandemic restrictions.
Most vegetable seeds germinate well when directly sown on the plot but there are a few, such as courgettes, which do better started off in seed compost sitting on the windowsill.
Up to the end of the Second World War gardeners were still making their own composts from loam, leaf mould, and sand.
Successful exhibitors at vegetable shows still start off seeds in homemade composts.
Today most of us are content to go for the easy option and buy something ready-made. There’s almost too much choice.
Multipurpose composts are useful for many jobs such as potting on plants but they fall short on two particular aspects when it comes to sowing seeds.
First, the texture is often wrong – lumpy bits of bark and recycled green waste are too coarse for small seeds to germinate.
Gardening magazines suggest that you can sieve it, but I’ve found that forcing damp, fibrous material through a sieve is challenging.
The second reason for not using multipurpose composts for sowing seeds is that they contain fertilisers which can be too strong for emerging seedlings.
It’s not extravagant to invest in a small bag of specialist seed compost to fill a few pots and trays to get seeds off to a flying start.
Since 1945 the main ingredient of seed composts has been peat which is low in nutrients and has many of the qualities needed for success.
Manufacturers like using peat as it is cheap and easy to turn into a growing medium.
Most gardeners are now aware of the devastating effect this has had on swathes of countryside and don’t need reminding that peat bogs are irreplaceable wildlife habitats and vital in our fight against climate change.
Happily there are now good alternatives to peat.
It’s worth the effort to check the ingredients listed on the bags to make sure that what you choose isn’t going to harm the environment.
Peat bogs are irreplaceable wildlife habitats