GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

07-03-2005, 02:01 PM

wrote in news:1110105578.909244.206960
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

The fuel cost of shipping ('compost-miles'?) and the
environmental impact of the roads used and your own trip to the garden
centre can't be ignored. Some of the most widely advised peat
substitutes (Coir and "agrowaste") are shipped from India, for heaven's
sake. The aussies are composting eucylptus trimmings, but have to add
huge amounts of nitrogen fertiliser to get them to compost at all.

I had some Irish compost made from the leftovers from making Guinness: it
was excellent stuff, and presumably involved no more compost miles than
shipping peat from an Irish bog. Had to get it mail order though: most of
the garden centres round here just sell peat-based, with very little info
on where the peat came from. :-(

I do make my own compost too, but I am too impatient to get it to pot-
perfect status: makes a great mulch though.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--