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Welcome to the Garden Guru!

You will find lots of useful information on compost, composting and all things grow your own, from hints and tips to step by step how to guides on all sorts of interesting subjects.

Browse through all our garden guru's articles below to find the subject you are interested in.

If the article you  are looking for is not here, just ask The Compost Shop Garden Guru and he will get back to you as quickly as possible with the answers you are looking for!

January Gardening Tips

Make Sure You Feed the Birds in January!

January is a tough month for birds to get food so it is essential that you keep feeding birds food and water. You can expect to see many birds coming to eat from your garden regularly. In return they will help to keep your lawn lush by controlling slugs, snails and greenflies, limiting the damage that these garden pests can do.

Winter is a great time of year for working soil.

January is an ideal time to work soil because the weather is cold. The benefit to doing this at lower temperatures is that soil will not stick to your tools as it would do in summer. As such you can prepare the soil in anticipation for the better weather to give yourself an advantage. Wait until a few days after rainfall and this will be the perfect time to turn over the soil and break up the more compact and lumpy soil. This will help to remove weeds and bring air to the soil making growing in the spring and summer months easier.

Start to dig in manure now.

While you are digging out the soil you can also dig in some mature manure. Look to spread this evenly over the surface. Aim to dig to a depth of between 20-30cm. Leaf piles and compost heaps can be raked and spread over vacant beds. Look to use well rotted composted horse manure or regular organic garden compost.

Start sowing seeds indoors.

Outdoor work can often be difficult over winter so look to start sowing early seeds inside in a controlled temperate environment. You can use a heated greenhouse or propagator to sow and plant seeds such as Begonia, Lobelia and Salvia.

Plan ahead for the year.

If you need motivation to get out in the garden why not order your spring and summer flower bulbs, seeds and other essentials now. The start of the year is a great time to buy these as they will often be available at a reduced price. Having all the necessary equipment such as string, stakes and canes and your bulbs, seeds, compost and fertilisers all ordered and ready gives you no excuse not to get out in the garden this year!

Can you compost a real Christmas tree?

If you’re using a real Christmas tree this year you will be pleased to know that those pesky needles that would otherwise go on the floor to be hoovered up, can in fact be put to great use.

You can add a real Christmas tree to your compost heap so get saving any needles that you can and be sure to compost your Christmas tree once the festive season has passed.

The pine needles will take a long time to decompose so don’t expect instant results but if you compost your Christmas tree each year it’s a sure-fire way of ensuring high quality compost for the long term. There’s another reason to opt for a real tree instead of a false one!

Pine needles are slightly rubbery in feel and notoriously tough in order to last harsh winter conditions. For this reason they can take a long time to break down and the trunk of tree can take even longer. To help move the process along quicker it is a good idea to cut up the tree or to shred it if possible before composting.

It can be used as a positive that Christmas trees take a long time to rot. The needles can be used to cover muddy areas of lawn; the branches and trunk can be used as a natural wildlife habitat that encourages flower growth.
Putting fallen and dried out needles into your compost heap will not influence the pH level of the soil. It is a common misconception that pine needles are not good for composting. Pine needles are acidic whilst they are on the tree but by the time they are ready to be composted they are no longer acidic to any considerable level.

If you want a real tree but want to dispose of it after use, in most areas your local council will happily take away your real Christmas trees after you have finished with it. Real Christmas trees are classed as green waste. Many local authorities have green schemes or local environmental projects and will be glad to take real Christmas trees off your hands. Each local council will be different so you should check this first.

The team at The Compost Shop would like to wish season’s greetings to one and all. We hope that you have a great festive season and that the presents you want lie in wait under the tree (real or fake) on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas!

Should You be Worried About Legionnaire's Disease in Compost?

Gardening, whilst being one of the safest hobbies there is, also carries it's fair share of risks. 

Recently there has been items in the news about concern over bacteria that can cause Legionnaire's disease being found in bags of organic compost, so is this something that you should be worried about?

There are two types of Legionnaire's disease that gardeners may be exposed to: Legionella longbeachae which occurs in soil and the more common Legionella pneumonophilia which causes respiratory problems widely known as Legionnaire's disease. This latter type is common in stagnant water that is between 20 and 45 degree centigrade, which allows the bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels. 

The recent scare in the case of L. longbeachae comes after many manufacturers have switched from using peat-based mixtures to wood-based ones that use materials such as sawdust. This is the same way that compost is cerated in Australia and New Zealand although compost bags over there come with warning labels advising gardeners to take precautionary measures. 

Whilst uncommon, L.longbeachae is most likely to affect those with a supressed immune system or the elderly. It is contracted when dust contaning the organism is inhaled and early symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, muscle pain and shortness of breath. 

In the UK you are not at a high risk of contracting Legionnaire's disease, however if you are concerned there are steps you can take to ensure that you stay as safe as possible when handling compost:

  • When you buy compost, check the contents to find out if it is made with peat-based mixture or wood-based mixture. 
  • Open bags of compost away from your face, which will prevent you from inhaling any potential organisms when you break the seal. 
  • Avoid storing peat free compost in a greenhouse or place where it is warm as this will encourage the bacteria to increase in number.
  • When handling dry compost, such as turning over your patch or trying to revitalise your heap, dampen the surface first and keep adding a little water to dry areas. This will prevent the dust from being propelle airborne where you may be at risk of inhaling it. 
  • If you are really concerned about the risks, then wear protective gloves and a dust mask when handling compost.

See our selection of compost online to find out about the different styles and ranges as well as the advnatages of each for your garden.

Best Multi Purpose Compost Offers

If you are looking for the best multi purpose compost offers then you are in the right place at The Compost Shop.


Our standard multi purpose compost is made from a specially formulated blend of Irish peat compost and peat free green compost. These are mixed together with essential plant nutrients to create one of the best multi purpose composts on the market that will competently fulfil the majority of your gardening requirements.


Right now you can take advantage of a fantastic sale price on our most popular multi purpose compost. Purchase a bulk bag containing 950 litres for the incredibly reasonable price of only £129.60; that is a saving of over £30 on our already low standard price. If you require more compost than this, you can buy 36x75 litre bags, giving a total of 2700 litres, for the great price of £171.60. Nowhere else can you find this type of value on incredibly well produced and highly nurtured compost.


The beauty of multi purpose compost is that it can be used for a wide range of gardening activities, and with it being great value at the Compost Shop you can affordably cover most of your green fingered needs. Multi purpose compost can be used for sowing seeds and a wide variety of plants thrive in our nutrient rich compound. If you are potting houseplants or filling hanging baskets it is perfectly appropriate because the pH and nutrient levels are suitable for fertilising a wide range of plants.


Multi purpose compost is great for general use which is why it is one of our most popular gardening products. We also have alternative peat free multi purpose compost which is which is environmentally friendly and that cultivates most plants through every stage of their development.


At The Compost Shop we have a fantastic selection of many different types of compost for sale, all at fantastic low prices and filled with all the right nutrients to help plants flourish. Any compost that you order from our site is palette delivered to your kerbside, fresh and ready to use. Remove the unnecessary hassle of creating your own compost and buy an expertly blended compost mix from The Compost Shop.