Peat free compost: what's in it?

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Peat free compost: what's in it?

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Mar 24, 05 8:40 pm Post subject: Peat free compost: what's in it?

I do try and use peat free as much as possible, however you often are not told what's in it. The best we found, New Horizon, is processed wood waste and we have found it fine for growing on plants but a little too course for seeds. It also can grow quite a display of fungi.

Most others I've seen don't seem to say what's in them. We did try one a few years back that included process sewage. While I would like to process our own waste and return it to our land one day I'm not sure about using other peoples waste to grow veg in.

Is there a good way of finding out what's in the various brands and why are they not labled?

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 24, 05 9:39 pm Post subject:
Don't know, but maybe the formulation varies from batch to batch. On the human waste issue I can't see the problem really. It's been processed (and probably sterilized), if you're happy to put chicken shit on your garden then why not human?

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Mar 24, 05 9:42 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

if you're happy to put chicken sh*t on your garden then why not human?

I'm not happy to put chicken manure on our garden unless it's from our own hens. In case it contains anything harmful to the hens.

I would hope any process human waste is steralised some how, but I also worry about the build up of heavy metals and other bits & bobs.

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 24, 05 9:44 pm Post subject:
Sorry, should have said people and one's rather than sounding like a question aimed at you specifically.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 05 9:47 pm Post subject:
I didn't think it was aimed at me, but I have used the pelleted poultry manure on my gardens before I got the hens. Now I wouldn't use it for their sake before I thought about the peat free compost.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 05 1:44 am Post subject:
Many water authorities in the UK sell human waste to farmers to spray on their land. I guess it probably has to reach a certain stage in processing first, but by crikey it stinks when they spray it!!

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