Torrential Rain and New Horizon Compost Update

Wednesday was warm and muggy with less sunshine than we've become accustomed to. Then around 21:00 the heavens opened and it tipped down. At one stage the rain was falling at 100mm/hr (4”/hr) equivalent to a month’s rainfall every 30 minutes. Thankfully it didn't last long.

Before the rain came I had a check over some plants growing in New Horizon peat free compost. I was a little unsure, in my last post on this topic, about my brassica plants growing in this medium. Perhaps it was the cold weather holding them back as they've now produced good plants, helped on by this recent spell of warm weather, and are now ready for planting in the plot .

Cabbages - Golden Acre (Sown 6th April)

Foreground red cabbage Huzaro, then cabbage Kilaton and at the back sprouts Crispus. 

Cabbages sown on 16th April and Brussels sprouts on 6th April)

I've also tried sowing French beans and runner beans in modules of New Horizon peat free compost - as an experiment to see if this compost suited them. I thought it a bit of a risk at the time as, due to the cold weather, I was already late sowing these seeds  and didn’t want another set back with poor germination as a result of poor compost. I needn’t have worried as the results have been very good with almost 100% germination and some strong healthy looking plants.

French beans - Tendergreen (sown 13th May)

Runner beans - Painted Lady (sown 17th May)

So far so good with this peat free compost. I've also got some courgettes and cucumber growing in this compost and I'm hoping the results will be just as good.