Hi Charles,
Like other brands of peat free compost the bulk of NH multi purpose is ‘ composted bark and timber residues’ with the addition of some minerals and a byproduct of sugar-beet processing called Vinesse, which is I think a source of nitrogen.
When making my home compost the wood is the last to break down and locks in nitrogen from the surrounding materials to aid its decomposition. Can I assume that the same action is taking place with the twigs and pieces of wood I find in peat free compost? I wondered if this robbing of nitrogen might have contributed to the poor development of my seedlings.
Also, the garden centre where I purchased my NH compost don’t store it undercover and it had been raining for 3days and the compost was very wet. Could any water soluble nutrients have been leeched from the compost?
When I returned the 2 remaining bags of NH multipurpose compost I replaced it with 2 bags of Arthur Bowers seed and cutting compost which I also had to return because it was so wet I could have squeezed the water out of it.
So maybe the source of some of my problems lie with the retailer.
I would like to make my own seed sowing medium using my own compost and other ingredients but I don’t know how to overcome the problem of weed seeds present in my compost. Any suggestions?
I have a large amount of 2 year old leaf mould and came across a recipe for seed compost by layering up comfrey leaves and leaf mould, setting it aside for a couple of months to rot down. Do you think that’s viable?
Thank you very much for answering this beginner’s queries.