Gardeners are just entering the busiest months of the year, and the greenhouse is at the heart of this frenzy of activity. When you think about it there are seeds to sow, pricking out to be done, cuttings to be taken, potting on and potting up to be carried out, possibly greenhouse borders to be dug, plants to get in, and so on. Make sure you are stocked up with all the paraphernalia and accoutrements that are essential to the smooth running of things.
I think the first thing to do is to make a quick inventory of what you have – and what you need. Assuming you already have the greenhouse itself, as well as benches and/or staging, a heater (if required), and a propagator, what else do you need?
Do you have sufficient pots and trays? Or fertilisers? Or seeds? And then of course there is the bagged compost – do you have the types you need?
There are different composts for sowing, planting, pricking out, potting up and potting on. Then there are loam-based, peat-based, peat-free and ericaceous composts. And don’t forget there are specially formulated composts for orchids, cacti, houseplants, and many others.
New Horizon Peat Free Compost is, a great all-rounder. Available is 10L, 20L, 40L, and 50L sizes, and it contains enough feed for four months.
Fill seed trays or small pots with Gro-Sure Seed & Cutting Compost – a much finer substance than All-Purpose compost, ideal for sowing small seeds. It is the best way to guarantee that seeds get off to a great start.
Take a look at the Westland Compost Products website pages to see which other composts are available to suit your needs. You’ll be amazed at how much is out there.
More advice on choosing the right compost.
Final tip: Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, acers, magnolias, skimmias and heathers are picky about what they put their roots into. They detest soil with lime in it, and insist on acidic (or ‘ericaceous’) compost. It’ll pay you therefore to use Westland Ericaceous Compost for these plants. It can also be mixed into the soil when planting or top-dressing acid loving plants in borders.
