Tomato varieties

[Oliver90owner]

Interesting about the compost, as this year we had one batch of seedlings that were gifted to us in pots and they all grew into very spindly plants, needed little bent wire stays to stop them falling over when they got to about 6" high. The compost they were in seemed very light compared to the usual stuff we use.

It’s usually down to the nutrients in the compost used, or the growing conditions the plants are provided with.

If the compost used is not fully composted, it may well use/lock up nutrients while still breaking down.

[Oldgreybeard]

It’s usually down to the nutrients in the compost used, or the growing conditions the plants are provided with.

If the compost used is not fully composted, it may well use/lock up nutrients while still breaking down.

That makes sense. I remember buying some compost from the council some years ago that was dreadful stuff, lots and lots of bits of solid wood chippings, that I think may have come from them attempting to compost old Christmas trees. We went back to getting compost from the garden centre and since then we've not had any problems, apart from these seedlings we were given.

The chap that cuts our hedges (not ornamental, they are all a mix of blackthorn, hawthorn, field maple, hazel, wild rose, etc - intended to keep the deer out) started composting all the clippings about a year ago. He reckons he will be selling compost in about another year or two, when it's all rotted down properly. Been to see the set up in his yard, very impressive, large compost bins (must be around 3m square each) all steaming away quite impressively.