Welcome to the Garden Guru!

At The Compost Shop we sell fantastic quality mushroom compost as well as a popular mushroom compost and manure mix. Our spent mushroom compost is the compost that remains after mushroom farming and has a high organic matter made from a blend of composted straw and animal manure.

The fact that our mushroom compost is high in organic matter makes it perfect for use on acid soils that are conversely composed of low organic matter. Heavy clay soils benefit from the alkaline nature of mushroom compost and it adds humus to thin sandy soils.

Bought in bulk, mushroom compost is a fantastic soil conditioner and is great for use in mulch. Being alkaline in composition makes mushroom compost ideal for use in vegetable and ornamental gardens, given that vegetables specifically thrive in non-acidic soil. If you are growing brassicas such as broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts or cabbage, they are much more likely to avoid being infected by clubroot disease. However, it should not be used around ericaceous plants that prefer compost with an acidic pH level, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, cameilla and blueberries.

Mushroom compost contains chalk, and as such, has a liming effect. You should always use it in moderation as a result, ensuring that you also remove any large pieces of chalk as a method of avoiding having a disproportionate amount of it in the soil. Although chalk can neutralise acidic soil and increase soil bacteria activity, oversupply can harm plant life, potentially leading to lime-induced chlorosis (a yellowing of the leaves) and stunted growth.

In particular, mushroom compost is not suitable for use with most fruit produce, since they mostly prefer conditions which range from neutral to acidic. You should also avoid using it as a lawn top-dressing, unless you have identified that the soil is unusually acidic and that lime is the only practical solution to neutralise it. Finally, as a high-alkaline substance, mushroom compost consequently contains a large quantity of soluble salts and as such is not suitable for potting mixes.

The Compost Shop stocks spent mushroom compost in high quantities and at very competitive prices. We make sure to steam sterilise our mushroom compost to eliminate spores and weeds, making it a superior quality economical soil conditioner.

Getting the right amount of water into your compost pile is vital for ensuring that it retains all of its essential nutrients.

The ideal moisture level for compost is an overall moisture content of around 40-60%; although you don’t have to be concerned too much with exact facts and figures as there is a simple way to test if your compost has the optimum level of moisture.

A simple trick known as the hand squeeze test is an accurate way to gauge if your compost has a good level of moisture and it really is as simple as it sounds to perform this test.

Once you have evenly distributed water to your compost, select a random section and grab a good size handful. Next, squeeze the handful to see how much moisture is released. If a lot of water drips out of your hand as you squeeze then you have overwatered your compost. This can be rectified by drying out your compost, adding dry materials such as straw and sawdust. You can also amend overwatering by increasing the amount of air that ventilates to your pile by turning the pile more frequently or by increasing direct airflow.

Conversely, if you squeeze a handful of your compost and it falls apart, it is lacking moisture. The simple solution to this outcome is to add more water. This is easier and cheaper than adding dry materials so bear this in mind when watering and remember that it is better to have too little moisture than too much.

You should be aiming for your compost to stick together in a clump in your hand and for your hand to feel slightly damp but to not be dripping. When you achieve this you then know that you have a near enough perfect amount of moisture in your compost.

In garden composting you can maintain moisture levels by using a small hose or watering can, whereas for industrial level composting you should look to use a permanent irrigation system.

If you are looking for compost to buy online be sure to pick the best multi purpose compost from a trusted compost supplier such as The Compost Shop. Give your compost the love it deserves and soon you could be growing better than ever!

At The Compost Shop we only stock the best compost available that is full of rich nutrients. For this reason we would suggest sticking to our already highly nutritious compost and not adding anything to it. That said, there are a few natural ingredients that should not do the compost any harm and that can be used if you are attempting to make your own compost. There are also some other ingredients that we suggest you actively avoid putting in your compost heap.

It is fundamentally important to keep an even blend of wet, green and dry, brown materials. Green materials constitute fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, tea bags and freshly mown grass clippings. These should all be fine to put in your compost heap but should be balanced out by dry, brown materials including dry leaves, dry grass clippings, nuts, pinecones and shredded newspaper. Work around maintaining a basic 50/50 ratio between green and brown materials, although many suggest the perfect ratio is 60/40 in favour of green.

There are a few things that it is ill-advised to put in your compost, and although some people will swear by these products we highly recommend avoiding them. The first of these is animal waste from your pets. This should be avoided if you are looking to plant vegetable or fruit plants and should only be added to your compost if you are growing solely ornamental plants. If you are making compost at home also avoid large amounts of meat and bones from animals and dairy products, oils, fats and so on. When making compost at home you are not likely to be able to generate sufficient temperature to properly break down meat or bones into compost.

Do not under any circumstances add diseased plants, weeds or wet grass to your compost. Doing this can cause these diseased plants and weeds to grow amongst your compost and among the plants that you are trying to grow. Anything that is not a natural product should not be added to compost. Synthetic pesticides and other inorganic materials such as plastics and cleaning chemicals should not ever be added to compost. Paper should be fine to compost but coloured paper or printed paper should be avoided as the ink will likely contain toxins which will be harmful to the compost.

Making your own compost at home can be a great way to keep down the cost of growing plants. What many of our customers do is mix their home-grown compost with our professionally produced compost to create a blend of nutrient rich compost. Turf Growers are the experts in creating garden compost so trust us to provide you with the best compost and the best hints and tips to ensure great plants every time.

If you live in a flat or a place that doesn't have a gardent or plant some flowerbeds, this doesn't mean you have to miss out on all of the fun of growing and nurturing your own plants to make your outside space look stunning!

There are so many varieties of plants you can choose from to create a bright and colourul summer selection or an evergreen perennial range of plants to give some year-round character to your window box or courtyard. Choosing a quality compost to start your pot with is paramount to their survival and will ensure that the plants have all of the nutrients and minerals they need to thrive.