Kitchen Garden Forum

Really poor this year and full of household debris and lumps of tree bark.
Wrote to them and received the following response.

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On Wednesday, 22 April 2015, 11:29, "consumerenquiriesUK@scotts.com" <consumerenquiriesUK@scotts.com> wrote:







Good morning

Thank you for your email from which we were sorry to hear that you have been disappointed following the use of one of our multi purpose composts.

To comply with the Government’s requirement that we should reduce the amount of peat used in growing composts, we, like other manufacturers, are using non-peat components in all of our standard growing media at varying levels. Coir, composted green waste, wood derived materials, barks and other composted waste products are used as alternative diluents for peat and as components of peat-free composts.

Unfortunately it is the composted green-waste that more often than not introduces contaminants into the compost mix. While it is easy to screen out large pieces of plastic and metal, it is difficult to eliminate small pieces once introduced into the composting system at the original point of collection. Kerbside collections from millions of households are common and are obviously open to being used for debris of all kinds by the original householder or by passers-by while the bin is awaiting collection. Due to this problem, we are currently looking into alternative sources of non-peat materials.

In contrast, other countries of Europe, such as France and Belgium, only use green waste accepted at manned receiving stations where visual and physical controls ensures a much cleaner raw material with very little contaminants. Unfortunately green composters in the UK do not receive such clean material and are currently working closely with local authorities, collection companies and the public to try to reduce contamination. But while composters, and manufacturers use various fine mesh screens to eliminate large pieces of debris it is difficult to eliminate small pieces completely.

This extensive quality control system is in place to ensure large lumps are removed prior to packing, unfortunately it would appear that on this occasion our system has failed and we apologise that the multi purpose compost purchased by you was not up to our usual high standard. This matter has been logged on our Quality Management System.

As a gesture of good will we are posting you some vouchers to put towards something for your garden. Photos can be sent by replying to this email.




Kind Regards,



Tim Farrant
Consumer Services Advisor
0845 190 1881


Full details of all the Scotts Miracle-Gro products and lots of useful gardening information, can be found on http://www.lovethegarden.com



01483 410210 "

They posted me 6 £1 vouchers that the store I bought the original compost from would not redeem in exchange for miracle grow.
Got there in the end but it seems B@Q tills don't have the code added to accept these vouchers.

Couldn't agree with you more Bob about the quality of Levingtons MP compost of late.

We have written in praise of it in the past however the bags we purchased recently are full of wood stuff and frankly appalling.

I even resorted to looking on the net yesterday for 100% peat compost but found costs had rocketed.

Decided to wait until we have space available again to have a 1000lt bulk bag delivered

I use nothing but this. Good peat, no recycled rubbish, and the price at my local garden centre has not gone up in the last five years.



http://www.cloverpeat.co.uk/retail-comp ... se-compost

Hi Alan

I had been looking at Clover products webpage yesterday. Having seen your recommendation I looked a bit deeper into their site this morning.

Sadly there appears to be no one within a sensible distance of where we are in Berkshire (and we are not out in the sticks) that is a stockist.

No doubt I could order online but confess to being a bit of a luddite when it comes to shopping, much preferring to collect things personally so that I can plan what I am doing and not have to stay in and await the whim of a delivery service.

If, in my travels, I come across this product I will buy however many bags I can get in the car at the time, hang the expense

I have suggested these people a couple of times http://www.gro-welldirect.co.uk/ but the pallet delivery charge is high. I don't know what I am going to do next season, I bought some of what Alan recommends and some professional seed compost, both have been excellent. I spread the delivery cost by buying enough Growmore, Potash, Superphosphate, FBB, Chicken Pellets, Tomato Fertiliser, Seaweed Meal and a few other bits and pieces to keep me going for at least two seasons (luckily I have some dry storage space).

Blackbob wrote:-


To comply with the Government’s requirement that we should reduce the amount of peat used in growing composts, we, like other manufacturers, are using non-peat components in all of our standard growing media at varying levels. Coir, composted green waste, wood derived materials, barks and other composted waste products are used as alternative diluents for peat and as components of peat-free composts.


This the reason why I cannot obtain farmyard manure in this part of Hampshire,other than buying it in the local Garden centre,because the local farms and riding stables which I have contacted say that they sell it on for processing.

Jacks Magic was the compost of choice this year and I rate it highly for fine seed sowing.

Unfortunately there is no law which says householders must not put grren material in their waste bins which have been treated with lawn weedkiller, herbicides or other toxic materials so I think this is always going to be a problem because there is no way of checking up what householders have been sending to their cou cil's composting centres. . Our council's environmentl recycling department have a day once a year when local residents can go to their bulk composting centre and take away as much free material as they csn carry away. Much as I would like some free compost. I've aways refused to take advantage of it as I try to grow my vegs as organically as possible and I suspect much of this stuff has very dubious origins which heat treatment may not necessarily have destroyed.

It's s becoming a growing problem to find decent compost, the quality of which can be relied upon from year to year and most of us can't generate enough of our own whose provenance we can rely on.

Blackbob wrote:Jacks Magic was the compost of choice this year and I rate it highly for fine seed sowing.

Conversely, this year we found Jacks Magic's standard to have fallen. A lot of small twig particle content and not good germination results

Primrose wrote:
It's s becoming a growing problem to find decent compost, the quality of which can be relied upon from year to year and most of us can't generate enough of our own whose provenance we can rely on.

Very true Primrose. Trying to improve the natural time it takes to break a compost heap down to fine tilth is a battle in itself,
I have yet to be convinced 'hot bins' provide the answer either

I for many years have used Michael King's 321 compost and although it varies a little from year to year I find it useable. Although I live in the Sedgemoor area of Somerset I have no connection with any of the peat producers. I find their products far superior to all the pathetic peat free attempts at compost. The only criticism of Michael King's and the like is that they have now introduced a percentage moss peat into the mix which is most inferior to the genuine Sedge Peat that Somerset is famous for.

http://www.michaelkings.co.uk/index.html

Use Sedge Peat, you know it makes sense.

Barney

Cider Boys wrote:Use Sedge Peat, you know it makes sense.

I have never seen this type of peat for sale and our local garden centre doesn't stock the Clover peat any longer.

Oh, and, Somerset is famous for cider and drinking cider. Does 'Stinking Bishop cheese come from Somerset ? That's famous, and flooding. But peat ? Hmmmm ?

Hello Richard

Stinking Bishop comes from up North in Gloucestershire.

The Somerset Levels and Moors (now incorrectly referred to by the media as the Somerset Levels) contains a large area of peat moors that produce in my view the finest peat available. Locals have always referred to the low lying flood prone area as the moors from the correct meaning of the word moor meaning marsh land rather than just an upland area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat_extr ... set_Levels

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Peat

My son rents fields that are peat and although you need a licence now to extract it, moles love to burrow in it and conveniently seem to produce well sifted piles for my occasional use. Historically a large area of Somerset was under water (and it still will always flood) and it is this that gave us the wonderful Sedge Peat. Many of the disused peat workings are now important nature reserves often features in wildlife TV programmes but the remaining peat diggers are still very busy.

http://www.discoverwildlife.com/travel/ ... 9s-country

Barney

Hi Richard,
To say "Hmmm" to Sedge peat would be a big mistake.
The peat that I have in stock comes from Somerset.
Sedge peat is the finest for seeding and is totally different from Moss Peat as it has nutrition in it whereas Moss Peat has no nutrition.
JB.