How to help your garden flourish this summer

Watching a plant grow and flourish under your care is one of the most satisfying feelings there is. Whether you’ve grown your own fruit and vegetables from seed or picked up a houseplant at the garden centre, the feeling of achievement is the same. 

However, whether you’re new to gardening or a seasoned planter it is far too easy for this feeling to slide into disappointment when your seeds fail to germinate or your plant meets an early demise. A study by Miracle-Gro found that 92% of people rate themselves as a beginner or intermediate gardener, and it’s this group that often blames themselves when they come up against a gardening mishap. 

However, the solution is simple. Get the basics right and you’ll be setting yourself up for the best chance of success.

 Get the basics right 

A good quality peat-free compost is essential. You will massively improve the likelihood of your plants thriving with a compost like Miracle-Gro Premium All Purpose Peat Free Compost, priced at £8.99 for 50l. 

Miracle-Gro went completely peat-free at the end of 2023, so it could continue to deliver the best compost for gardeners that was also sustainable for the planet. The use of peat in compost has contributed to the destruction of habitats for many rare plants, insects and animals. Not to mention, the sourcing of peat is also a contributor to climate change through its carbon dioxide emissions. 

 Feel the peat-free compost difference 

The biggest difference between a peat-based compost and a peat-free compost is the mix of ingredients. Miracle-Gro’s peat-free compost includes ingredients such as wood-past materials, green composts, coir, braken, sheep's wool and arable straw waste. In fact, the peat-free version have undergone 30 years of development to become the best mix to help your plants thrive.

A peat-free compost will usually be lighter in colour, and feel coarser, but don’t worry it still has all the nutrients your plants need to thrive. Unfortunately, not all peat-free composts are created equal, but Miracle-Gro has worked hard to make sure theirs is as good if not better than their old peat-based composts.

Celebrate each gro-ment 

Once you have the basic grounding of a good compost it’s important to celebrate each little gro-ment. If you’re new to gardening, celebrate your first seedling poking its head out of the soil, and celebrate again when you try that first bite of a home-grown carrot. 

The gardening experts at Miracle-Gro found that over half of Brits felt a huge sense of achievement the first time they grew something. This is great, but don’t just celebrate the first time, keep taking a moment to feel the surge of excitement or satisfaction as you continue on your gardening journey. 

 Feed the feel-good vibes 

Getting out and into the garden can have a huge impact on your mental health, over a quarter of people say that it has helped their mental health. However, the best news is you don’t have to have a natural green thumb to get a well-being kick out of gardening. 3 in 4 respondents to Miracle-Gro’s survey said that they don’t think you need to be good at gardening to enjoy it. 

Everyone deserves to enjoy a little gro-ment.