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The bog has landed! Peatland on display at RHS Chelsea to highlight how gardeners can protect landscapes by switching to peat-free composts

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Curlews, lapwing, the hum of billions of insects…. and the occasional squelch – the sounds of a peatland captured and to be heard over a little piece of Cumbrian peatland, on loan from Natural England, and installed in the Discovery Zone at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The critical importance of UK peatlands to our climate will be brought home to gardeners at the show in this unique exhibit by peat-free compost maker Dalefoot Composts and the Eden Project.

Under special license from Natural England, a slice of bog ‘borrowed’ from peatland previously harvested for horticulture will go on show to demonstrate the environmental damage gardeners are causing to our planet by using peat compost in their outdoor spaces.

In the immersive Discovery Zone display, gardeners will be invited ‘to step into’ the borrowed slice of National Nature Reserve (NNR) peatland from a restored Cumbrian bog to experience the secrets, sounds and beauty of these enormous bog gardens. The peatland display will be given expert care whilst at the show to make sure it remains hydrated and will be returned to its natural home once Chelsea has finished.

Alongside, a bountiful potager of vegetables and companion planting grown by gold-medal-winning Pennard Plants, will illustrate what gardeners can achieve in their own plot by switching to peat-free gardening. All of these plants have been grown in Dalefoot Compost’s peat-free products which are Soil Association-approved for organic growing.

Peatlands only occupy about 3% of the Earth’s land surface but are the largest terrestrial carbon store on the planet. UK peatlands cover around 12% of its land area and store 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, more than twice that of the UK’s forests*, as well as being very important habitats for biodiversity.

Professor Jane Barker is the co-founder of Dalefoot Composts which is a major manufacturer of peat-free compost and a leading restorer of damaged peatlands, including the NNR site in Cumbria.

She said: “Up until now, the scientific understanding underpinning individual gardeners’ responsibility to climate change gardening has not been well communicated. We want to demonstrate how you can easily make a difference in your own garden by ditching the use of peat and switching to peat-free compost.

“The importance of peat and peatlands to our climate and the planet have also not been made clear or accessible for our gardeners, whilst trees have taken centre stage and are much easier to relate to. However, peat is hugely significant to our climate’s future.”

The timeline of a bog will be illustrated in the RHS Chelsea exhibit to show the thousands of years peat represents. Peat grows at only 1mm per year and this will be contrasted to the bags of peat compost it would yield and the short season of growth that peat might give gardeners.

Whilst the Government has set targets for peatland restoration and is currently consulting on a peat ‘ban’, in amateur gardening there remains a significant resistance to switching to peat-free and it is predicted even more peat could be used in the future. Of the 5.44 million cubic metres of growing media used in 2020, 79% was used by amateur gardeners. Two-thirds of peat sold in the UK is from Europe, meaning we are effectively exporting our carbon footprint. Voluntary targets set for peat sellers have had little impact and the new target of ending peat sales by 2024 is being questioned for being too slow and not enough.

This is the latest initiative by Dalefoot Composts and the Eden Project to promote the sustainability benefits of peat-free gardening. Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Potting is endorsed by the world-renowned environmental charity and social enterprise, and the two organisations have plans to work together on other future initiatives.

Dalefoot will be supporting six show gardens and exhibits at RHS Chelsea with its peat-free compost

– The New Blue Peter Garden: Discover Soil by Juliet Sargeant; Brewin Dolphin Garden by Paul Hervey-Brookes; The Mothers for Mothers – This Too Shall Pass Garden by Pollyanna Wilkinson; The Wild Kitchen Garden by Ann Treneman; RHS Queen’s Jubilee Photographic Exhibit by Dave Green, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency – Don’t Risk It! exhibit.

Two of the company’s peat-free composts have also been shortlisted in the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2022 – Wool Compost for Potting and Wool Compost Double Strength.

ENDS

Stand GPA 105 in the Discovery Zone of the Great Pavilion – Stand AR 545 for Dalefoot Compost

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Ben Foster, Media and Engagement Manager, bfoster@EdenProject.com  For more info, go to www.edenproject.com

Bolton Fell Moss is a lowland raised bog damaged through commercial extraction of peat but has since begun a journey of restoration thanks to an ongoing project by Natural England. Extraction ended in 2013 but left a vast expanse of dry, bare peat where limited wildlife could survive. Restoration work has raised the water levels; bog vegetation was then introduced but it will take time for the sphagnum mosses to cover the bare peat and for other bog plants to return. It could take up to 30 years for the bog to fully recover.

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and the business employs 25 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the country for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and Wildlife Trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than storing it. Dalefoot works with these agencies to help reduce carbon release and return the bogs to functioning, healthy eco-systems. In 2022 Dalefoot announced a total of 3.8 million tonnes of carbon saved through their restoration projects.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £12.75 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists. Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

* IUCN

RHS_Garden_Sustainable_Product_2021_Finalist

Eco compost shortlisted for first ever RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award

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RHS Sustainable Garden Product of the Year finalist

A peat-free compost range made from sheep’s wool, bracken – and now comfrey – by Dalefoot Composts in the Lake District has been shortlisted for the first ever RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award.

Dalefoot Wool Compost with Comfrey, launched earlier this year by the Penrith-based firm, is one of ten shortlisted products to be recognised for their green credentials in this prestigious RHS competition*.

Family-owned Dalefoot Composts spent five years perfecting the addition of comfrey, a plant superfood, into its popular peat-free Wool Compost range. Known as the organic gardener’s best friend, comfrey has high levels of potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers and bigger crops.

Comfrey is now grown sustainably at Dalefoot farm near Heltondale as a commercial crop allowing the company to scale up peat-free compost production to supply many more garden centres and nurseries across the UK, plus online for home delivery. Blending comfrey into the composts complements the company’s on-farm approach to no-till soil management, adds structure and additional flowers and biodiversity to the landscape benefitting insects and pollinators, and, importantly from a horticultural perspective, provides increased nutrient content in the final compost product.

Professor Jane Barker of Dalefoot Composts said: “As firm believers in true sustainability – social, economic and environmental – our team is over the moon to get this recognition and be shortlisted. We take real care to employ environmental best practice at Dalefoot, from the sourcing and harvesting of ingredients, to packaging and delivery. Our premium products also provide gardeners with a sustainable alternative to using environmentally damaging peat in their outdoor spaces.”

With a hat-trick of performance-packed natural ingredients – comfrey, bracken and sheep’s wool – the Wool Compost range feeds plants for at least a season, requires less watering, as wool cleverly retains moisture, and is Soil Association-approved for organic gardening. Wool Compost is available in Potting, Seeds, Vegetables & Salads, Tomatoes, Double Strength and Ericaceous**.

The company sources bracken from Exmoor, Northumberland and Wales, as well as locally in Cumbria – helping a diversity of farming communities and local landscapes. Bracken is an invasive plant but when harvested sustainably and composted, provides rich potash for plants and acts as a fantastic soil conditioner. Sheep farmers are benefitting too as supplying undipped wool for the compost means they have a market for a product they struggle to sell. Dalefoot is a significant local employer and is Living Wage-accredited, and it also restores damaged peat bogs for organisations such as Natural England and the wildlife trusts.

Over the past 12 months, compost production has doubled at Dalefoot, with more than 175 garden centres and nurseries now stocking its products.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Comfrey is renowned in the gardening world for being a plant superfood. It has very long roots so is able to absorb nutrients deep in the soil as it grows, and when harvested and then added to compost or a traditional comfrey tea, the nutrients give a growing ‘kick’ to other plants, encouraging strong, healthy growth. The introduction of comfrey to the compost mix marks the culmination of a five-year project by the Dalefoot team to grow the plant on a commercial scale, sustainably on the farm, and harness its extraordinary qualities. The fast-growing comfrey crop can be harvested four times a year, so there is plenty on tap to meet rising demand for the company’s premium composts in the future.

 

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Professor Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and the business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £11.99 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists. Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

 

Peat bogs – The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the UK for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and wildlife trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than just storing it. To date, this work equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago.

 

* About RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year – The RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year was launched in 2011 to recognise the best new garden products at the show. In line with the ever increasing importance to ensure products offer sustainable solutions, the 2021 competition will award the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year for the first time. Other shortlisted products include New Vegebag by Vegepod UK, Composting Loo by Green Oak and Ocean Plastic Pots, made from discarded rope and fishing net. An expert judging panel will consider environmental sustainability as well as innovation, visual appeal, functionality and quality and the winner will be announced during Virtual Chelsea (17 – 21 May). A trophy presentation will take place on Press Day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show now being held in September.

 

** Wool Compost Ericaceous, Lakeland Gold and Bulb Compost do not contain comfrey

Dalefoot Composts

Dalefoot Composts adds comfrey into its peat-free range to give plants a nutrient super boost

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  • Comfrey – the organic gardener’s best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the Wool Compost range
  • ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers & bigger crops
  • Comfrey now being grown sustainably at Dalefoot farm as company scales up peat-free compost production to supply many more garden centres and nurseries across the UK, plus online for home delivery
  • Bracken for Dalefoot’s products sourced from Exmoor, Northumberland & Wales, helping farming communities & local biodiversity further afiel

Dalefoot Composts, the Lake District peat-free compost maker, has added comfrey into its peat-free Wool Compost range giving an extra super charge of nutrients and trace elements for blooming, healthy plants.

Now with a hat-trick of performance-packed natural ingredients – comfrey, bracken and sheep’s wool – the Wool Compost range feeds plants for at least a season, requires less watering, as wool cleverly retains moisture, and is Soil Association-approved for organic gardening. Wool Compost is available in Potting, Seeds, Vegetables & Salads, Tomatoes, Double Strength and Ericaceous1.

Comfrey is renowned in the gardening world for being a plant superfood. It has very long roots so is able to absorb nutrients deep in the soil as it grows, and when harvested and then added to compost or a traditional comfrey tea, the nutrients give a growing ‘kick’ to other plants, encouraging strong, healthy growth.

The introduction of comfrey to the compost mix marks the culmination of a five-year project by the Dalefoot team to grow the plant on a commercial scale, sustainably on the farm, and harness its extraordinary qualities. The fast-growing comfrey crop can be harvested four times a year, so there is plenty on tap to meet rising demand for the company’s premium composts in the future.

The company is also now sourcing bracken from Exmoor, Northumberland and Wales, as well as locally in Cumbria – helping a diversity of farming communities and local landscapes. Bracken is an invasive plant but when harvested sustainably and composted, provides rich potash for plants and acts as a fantastic soil conditioner. Sheep farmers are benefitting too as supplying wool for the compost means they have a market for a product they struggle to sell.

Dalefoot’s peat-free products are unique as they use a fully-traceable, sustainable blend of wool, bracken and now comfrey to make composts for every gardening need. Wool releases a steady stream of nitrogen and other must-have nutrients which, when combined with bracken and comfrey, means no further feed is required over the growing season.

Professor Jane Barker of Dalefoot Composts said: “Comfrey is a truly remarkable plant offering a multitude of uses and we’re excited to grow it right here on the farm for our compost. We’ll be looking at how we can use it in other products for the gardener in the future.

“Our farm’s bees, insects and wildlife are also benefitting from the biodiversity boost the new comfrey fields and their nectar-rich flowers bring to the local environment.”

Over the past 12 months, compost production has doubled at Dalefoot, with 177 garden centres and nurseries now stocking its products.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the UK for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and wildlife trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than just storing it. To date, this work equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

1 – Wool Compost Ericaceous, Lakeland Gold and Bulb Compost do not contain comfrey

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Professor Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £11.99 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Lakeland-Gold-2020-low-res

New vegan-friendly peat-free compost mix from Dalefoot as company marks major UK peat bog restoration milestone

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From saving peatlands to #peatfree

  • Dalefoot’s popular Lakeland Gold clay-buster compost now vegan-friendly
  • Its peat-free composts stocked in 112 garden centres/nurseries across UK including NEW for spring 2020 six Blue Diamond stores
  • Dalefoot’s environmental business restored over 32,700 hectares of damaged peat bog in 20 years  – over 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions stored since it was launched
  • Company works on Dartmoor, the Cairngorms and in the Lake District restoring peatlands to lock in carbon and reduce flooding risk

Dalefoot Composts has boosted its pioneering peat-free gardening range with a vegan-friendly compost for spring 2020 and announced a major carbon-saving milestone for its environmental contracting arm that restores precious peatlands across the UK.

The family-run company’s popular Lakeland Gold* compost, made from bracken sustainably harvested from the local fells, is now 100% vegan-friendly, thanks to a tweak to its potash-rich recipe**.

Lakeland Gold acts as a powerful soil conditioner, ideal for spring and autumn mulching on your garden beds as well as clay-busting, and is packed with natural slow-release nutrients helping to develop a fertile, living soil. Like the rest of Dalefoot’s peat-free, premium compost range, it is Soil Association-approved for organic growing and is available to buy online or from a growing list of stockists.

As well as encouraging gardeners to use peat-free compost, in a further step to combat the challenges of climate change, Dalefoot also helps restore the UK’s damaged peat bogs. Last year its team repaired over 3,200 hectares of degraded peatlands across the UK – some damaged by peat extraction for the horticultural industry – adding to the 29,500 hectares it’s completed in the past 20 years, the equivalent of 45,800 football pitches. Using innovative restoration techniques, the work turns the bogs back into carbon sinks. This equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions– equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago, .

Professor Jane Barker, who runs Dalefoot Composts with her husband Simon Bland, said: “We are all now witnessing the effects of global warming and climate change: be it earlier flowering bulbs, the need for extra watering or for some too much rain. As gardeners we all have the opportunity to make a difference! Going peat-free isn’t just a personal choice, it’s a way we can all have an impact in our own individual way on climate change. Peat is pure carbon laid down over thousands of years and it needs to stay in a bog (not a bag!). Lots of little steps make giant strides.”

Simon and Jane have pioneered techniques to repair these fragile landscapes, with their team often working in challenging conditions in remote sites for organisations like Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and South West Water. They have engineered specialist equipment, lighter than a human footprint, needed to work on the delicate surface of peat bogs.

Dalefoot Composts is a farm-based business producing an exciting range of peat-free composts using only the natural resources of wool and bracken sustainably sourced from the beautiful Lake District. Its premium composts include Wool Compost for Potting & Containers, Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, Wool Compost for Tomatoes, Wool Compost Double Strength, Wool Compost Ericaceous (and Double Strength), Bulb Compost and Wool Compost for Seeds. Lakeland Gold, the original bracken compost, is now 100% vegan-friendly.

ENDS

For further information please contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762117433

Notes for editors: *Lakeland Gold – enriches your soil by increasing the organic matter. Benefits include natural slow release nutrients, moisture retention, pH balance, erosion reduction and providing a banquet for earthworms. Apply in the autumn directly to the top of the soil and allow the worms to work it into the beds. Also use as a top dressing for plants in the spring. Feeds naturally for two years. Proven CLAYBUSTER – clay soils will gain a more open structure so they drain better. The lignin contained in the bracken breaks up the clay and releases the nutrients held within. ** It no longer contains farmyard manure.

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from local farmers.

Growing benefits of the compost include:

  • Natural water retention of wool fibres means up to 50% less watering.
  • Wool provides a steady, slow sustained supply of nitrogen.
  • High levels of natural potash from the bracken promotes flowering and fruiting, healthy growth and hearty crops – NO need for any additional plant food.
  • Made from 100% renewable resources with great environmental benefits.
  • The compost has a similar soft texture to peat and has a wide range of naturally occurring trace elements for good plant health.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £10.99 per bag down to £7.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk  @DalefootCompost

 

Wool-Compost-for-Tomatoes-steps

‘No need to feed’, peat-free Wool Compost for Tomatoes launched by Dalefoot Composts

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  • Sustainable peat-free compost made from sheep’s wool & bracken
  • Easy to use – feeds tomatoes naturally and organically, no extra feed needed and 50% less watering
  • Launched during British Tomato Fortnight 20 May – 3 June
  • Made on a family farm in the Lake District and developed with 2019 RHS Master Grower Pennard Plants
peat free Wool Compost for Tomatoes
New from Dalefoot Composts – Wool Compost for Tomatoes

During British Tomato Fortnight, a ‘no need to feed’ peat-free Wool Compost for Tomatoes has been launched by Dalefoot Composts – easy to use for novice gardeners, allotment fans and even master growers wanting organically grown, succulent and juicy tomatoes.

The super strength compost contains all the must-have nutrients needed to grow organic and aromatic tomatoes throughout the year without ‘any’ additional tomato feed. And like the rest of Dalefoot’s range, it has been approved by the Soil Association for organic growing.

Developed with tomato expert Terry Marshall (horticulturist, tomato grower and author of the book ‘Tomatoes’), and Pennard Plants UK, (heirloom seed producers and RHS Master Grower 2019), this premium compost has grown show bench tomato plants for RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Wool Compost for Tomatoes is packed with the perfect blend of natural ingredients; bracken from the Cumbrian fells blended with sheep’s wool for sufficient moisture retention reducing the risk of blossom end rot. The bag can be used as a grow-bag or the compost can be used in pots, raised beds and pannier planting.

Simon Bland of Dalefoot Composts said: “Our new Wool Compost for Tomatoes is bursting with all-natural nutrients which are perfect for growing the tastiest organic tomatoes. You don’t need to add any extra feed and it is really simple to use – just pot up your plants, water them and watch them grow!”

Celebrating its 22nd year, Dalefoot Composts is a family-run, farm-based business producing an exciting range of peat-free composts using only the natural resources of wool and bracken sustainably sourced from the beautiful Lake District.

It offers premium composts to meet every gardening need – Wool Compost for Potting & Containers, Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, Wool Compost Double Strength, Wool Compost Ericaceous (and Double Strength), Bulb Compost and Wool Compost for Seeds. Lakeland Gold, the original bracken compost, is a renowned clay-buster and high potash feed.

Wool Compost for Tomatoes is available to order online now from www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk and from selected suppliers priced from £10.99 – £7.50 per bag depending on size of order. Delivery extra.

ENDS

www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk 01931 713281

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Growing benefits of Dalefoot Composts’ range include:

  • Natural water retention of wool fibres means up to 50% less watering.
  • Wool provides a steady, slow sustained supply of nitrogen.
  • High levels of natural potash from the bracken promotes flowering and fruiting, healthy growth and hearty crops – NO need for any additional plant food.
  • Made from 100% renewable resources with great environmental benefits.
  • The compost has a similar soft texture to peat and has a wide range of naturally occurring trace elements for good plant health.

The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs up to 40 local people, and sources bracken and wool from local farmers.

Finalist-New-Product-of-the-Year-Bulb-Compost-Image-1

Grow vibrant blooms using Dalefoot’s new peat free Bulb Compost with no need for extra feed!

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– Sustainable compost made from wild bracken that feeds bulbs for two years –

A new peat free Bulb Compost, made from wild bracken harvested from the Lake District fells, has been launched by Dalefoot Composts.

RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year finalist
RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year finalist

Dalefoot has developed this premium, carbon-neutral compost with award-winning lily growers HW Hyde & Son who have used it to grow ‘gold medal’ bulbs at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The compost itself has now been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year 2018.

It boasts the perfect blend of free draining compost with natural, must-have nutrients and trace elements, to grow eye-catching flowers and to feed the bulb restoring its reserves for the following year. The bracken from the Cumbrian fells also gives it the perfect open structure.

The growing number of eco-conscious gardeners will welcome news that Dalefoot’s Bulb Compost provides a beneficial use for aggressive, waist-high bracken which makes grazing difficult and impacts upon native species. Harvesting bracken on rotation, at exactly the right time of year, improves the habitat for ground nesting birds and butterflies, in particular the endangered High Brown Fritillary whilst also providing the perfect nutrients for beautiful spring, summer and autumn bulbs.

Dr Jane Barker, an environmental scientist, who runs Dalefoot Composts – makers of the award-winning Wool Compost range – with her husband Simon Bland said: “Our customers can now grow ‘show bench’ blooms from their bulbs with our new compost which feeds for two years and is 100% peat free.”

Celebrating its 21st year, Dalefoot Composts is a family-run business producing an exciting range of eight peat free composts using only the natural resources of wool and bracken sourced from the beautiful Lake District.

Dalefoot Composts offers premium composts to meet every gardening need – Wool Compost for Potting & Containers, Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, Wool Compost Double Strength, Wool Compost Ericaceous (and Double Strength) and Wool Compost for Seeds. Lakeland Gold, the original bracken compost, is a renowned clay buster and high potash feed.

Dalefoot Bulb Compost is available from www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk priced from £8.99 down to £7 per bag depending on size of order. Delivery extra.

Tel: 01931 713281    Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Bulb Compost – How to use

Pots and containers

  • Place a layer of crocks at the bottom of your pot or container.
  • Add a layer of Dalefoot Bulb Compost to a good depth (10cm if possible), to allow good root growth.
  • Arrange bulbs-up to a bulbs distance apart-then add another 10cm layer of bulb compost.
  • Water after planting & continue to water for six weeks after flowering. The compost should feel moist to the touch but not wet.

Outdoors

  • Prepare the ground- remove weeds and add Dalefoot Bulb Compost to the planting pit- which should be 3-4 times as deep as the bulb itself.
  • Cover generously with bulb compost.
  • Mark the place of planting with a beautiful label to prevent disappointment in the future.
  • If you have squirrels in your garden- plant deeper!

Top Tip- Try layering your bulbs for a beautiful display.

Remember that bulbs with indents e.g. Fritillaria, need to be planted on their side- the stem will find its way up to the light.

 

Jane-Barker-daughter-Arabella-Kate-Humble-and-Simon-Bland

Dalefoot Composts features in ‘Back to the Land’ with Kate Humble on BBC Two

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AN ENTERPRISING Cumbrian family firm that makes peat free compost from sheep’s wool, and restores damaged peat bogs across the UK, has featured in a new BBC TV series championing rural entrepreneurs.

Dalefoot Composts, based on a 120-acre family farm in the hills of the Lake District, was highlighted on ‘Back to the Land’ presented by Kate Humble on BBC Two on Tuesday (21 March). The documentary series travelled the UK meeting the growing band of rural entrepreneurs who have forged their own innovative products and businesses from the land in the Lake District, Devon and Pembrokeshire.

The programme took a behind-the-scenes look at Dalefoot’s eco compost-making using wool and bracken from the Cumbrian fells, joining the firm during the busy lambing season and then again for the bracken harvest. It also highlighted the specialised peat bog restoration work that the Dalefoot team undertakes across the nation for organisations such as Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The family who run Dalefoot Composts, Jane Barker and husband Simon Bland, were filmed throughout the year, for the third episode of the series which showcased companies in the Lake District. Their 11-year-old daughter Arabella also made an appearance, helping Kate and her parents with lambing.

Jane said: “It was a wonderful experience meeting Kate and the film crew, being taken through a process of reflecting on what we have achieved so far, and helping us celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dalefoot Composts.”

The enterprising couple began manufacturing compost and selling mail order 20 years ago, prompted by diminishing returns from their sheep farming business. Using Simon’s practical farming knowledge and the scientific input of Jane, who holds a PhD in Environmental Science, they began their composting using bracken – a by-product of their environmental and habitat restoration work – before adding wool to the mixture.

As well as helping the growing number of gardeners and horticulturalists who want to switch to peat free, the compost finds a novel use for British wool – good news for struggling sheep farmers. Their sustainable Wool Compost range, which is now widely used by gardeners across the UK, boasts wool from their own flock. Benefits include:

  • Natural water retention of wool fibres means up to 50% less watering.
  • Wool provides a steady, slow sustained supply of nitrogen.
  • High levels of natural potash from the bracken promotes flowering and fruiting, healthy growth and hearty crops – NO need for any additional plant food.
  • Made from totally renewable resources with great environmental benefits.

The use of bracken in Wool Compost is also beneficial for the local Cumbrian landscape, as the spread of this aggressive, waist-high plant in the Lake District makes grazing difficult and impacts upon native species. Harvesting improves the biodiversity of flora and fauna, in particular ground-nesting birds and butterflies.

Tel: 01931 713281              Email: info@dalefootcomposts.co.uk      @DalefootCompost

ENDS

For further information please contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762117433