Peat-Free Compost: Choosing a Blend, Watering and Feeding
Choose peat-free compost for the plant and its purpose. Learn how to check moisture, read feeding instructions and avoid unnecessary extra fertiliser.
Journal
-
12 Vegetable Garden Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Quick answer: Most vegetable garden mistakes come down to never rotating crops, sowing or planting too close together without thinning, feeding every crop the same way, and leaving beds empty as soon as something is harvested. Rotate by plant family every 3–4 years, thin early, match fertilizer to leafy, root or fruiting crops, and resow…
-
Best Seed Compost: How to Choose (or Mix) the Right One
Quick answer: The best seed compost is low in nutrients, fine-textured and free-draining — the opposite of ordinary potting soil. Look for products labelled ”seed starting mix” or ”seed compost” with little or no added fertiliser, check the ingredient list rather than the marketing on the front, and choose peat-free or peat-reduced if sustainability matters…
-
Growing apple trees in a cold climate: the complete guide
Quick answer: Growing apple trees starts with the rootstock, which sets the final size: Bud 9 gives a 1.8–2.4 m (6–8 ft) tree, MM.106 about 3.5–4.5 m (12–15 ft), a seedling stock over 6 m (20 ft). Add full sun, well-drained soil, a second variety within 30 m (100 ft) for pollination, and expect your…
-
Grow lights for seedlings: how to choose and set one up
Quick answer: Grow lights for seedlings should deliver about 200 µmol/m²/s across the whole tray for 14–16 hours a day, which works out to roughly 30 W of modern LED per square metre (11 sq ft) and a daily light integral of 10–15 mol. Buy on photon efficacy in µmol/J – 2.5 or better –…
-
Apple Pollination Groups: How to Pick a Compatible Tree
Quick answer: Most apple varieties need pollen from a genetically different variety to set a full crop. Varieties are sorted into pollination groups by bloom time — pick a partner from the same or a neighboring group, ideally within 15–20 m (50–65 ft). Triploid varieties like Bramley’s Seedling need two other varieties, not just one.…
-
How to Fix Leggy Seedlings (and Stop It Happening Again)
Quick answer: Leggy seedlings are almost always caused by too little light combined with too much warmth — the seedling stretches toward light it isn’t getting instead of growing thick and sturdy. Move seedlings somewhere cooler and brighter right away, hang a grow light 6–12 in (15–30 cm) above the tops for 14–16 hours a…