As we gear up for spring and gardeners across the county begin to clear the cobwebs from the shed or the greenhouse, and sharpen their tools ready for action, we thought it was time to share one of our biggest changes for this year’s season, and that’s to the compost choices we’re able to offer you.
For the past few years we have had peat free compost choices, but this year our peat free range and choice extends beyond anything we have ever had previously, and outdoes any peat based choices we now have on offer. It has taken time to reach this point due to our belief that we should only sell products that we believe meet quality criteria and will perform to the standard of other alternatives (peat based or not). We acknowledge the increasing demand for peat-free growing media but we can’t in good conscience sell it if it doesn’t serve the function that it is designed to, regardless of it having a sought-after peat-free label. (The range of composts, and the quality available is a minefield and behind the scenes up in the nursery, we have been trialling various different peat free composts, to find those that will give good results).
This year we have achieved our aim, of being able to offer a good range of peat free compost, that sit alongside a much smaller choice of peat based growing media. Our popular Melcourt Sylvagrow peat free composts are joined by peat free options from Bulrush, Harmony Gardens, CoCo & Coir, and returning Bloomin Amazing peat free soil enricher.
We are able to offer a range that we hope meets all preferences and pockets, and most importantly that will help turn your outdoor spaces into beautiful spring and summer havens this 2022!
Our road to peat free greatness has been part of a long term goal and aspiration to continually improve the business’s green credentials and sits alongside progress in many other areas of the the business:
- No more bottled water – installation of a ‘spring tap’ in the garden centre for your free spring water fix and refills. Also available in the Garden Kitchen Cafe. The garden centre uses water from boreholes for the vast majority of its water needs.
- Biodegradable carrier bags only, available at the tills – bring your own bags also welcomed/encouraged!
- We reuse and recycle all of our own plant pots in the nursery
- No more new black pots being used – we are phasing them out so that eventually all stock will be out of non-recyclable black pots
- Use of renewable energy (solar panels up in the nursery, biomass boilers to heat the garden centre/nursery)
- Encouraging and using organic pest control and fertilisers (as well as peat free composts)
- Creating and supporting many wildlife habitats up in the nursery, across 35 acres of land
For the full range of composts available this 2022 season at Trevena Cross, please click here.
