Bigger and greener

Ahead of COP26, Monty asked us all to do something “then we gardeners... can make a real difference” (The Full Monty, November issue). I would like to urge those of us with larger gardens to consider buying tonne bags of compost rather than 40 litre bags from a garden centre. I have been doing this for a few years now and the environmental and cost savings are significant.

I buy a 1 tonne bag of organic compost from a site two miles away where it is made from local green waste. This costs me £45 including delivery. If the average bag of organic peat-free compost from a garden centre costs about £7, then I estimate it would cost around £175 for roughly the same amount (25 bags). Buying a tonne of 40 litre bags would also involve multiple trips to a garden centre with all the associated car emissions.

So on plastic use, emissions and cost, the tonne bag option wins hands down... and it’s never a problem using that much compost, especially if you apply a good mulch over your beds to improve the soil condition. The issue I am left with is what to do with the empty tonne bags, as the company making the compost will not reuse them. Has anyone found a good way of using these bags, re-purposing or recycling them?

Phil Mulligan, Lincolnshire

We say: Making your own garden compost is another green and budget-friendly option – see our beginners’ guide on p56.