Neil and Catherine/Pepperpot Herbs
By Beth Otway
Husband and wife team, Catherine and Neil run Pepperpot Herbs in Alton, in Hampshire. All their herbs are grown right here in the UK, using peat-free growing media. This small, family-run nursery don’t use any pesticides.
Pepperpot Herbs have been peat-free at their growing stage for around four or five years. Last year the nursery moved to peat-free cultivation in all their propagation and they’re now 100% peat-free. Catherine tells me that while they were working towards going 100% peat-free they found that some plants raised in peat filled plugs, modules and propagation mixes weren’t as happy to be switched over into peat-free growing media and these plants often declined when they were potted up in peat-free substrate. In contrast, the Pepperpot Herbs propagation team discovered that when they sowed their seeds and raised their cuttings in peat-free plugs, peat-free modules, and peat-free pre-filled jiffy trays and then potted their peat-free seedlings and cuttings into larger pots filled with peat-free compost, their plants thrived. The small team at Pepperpot Herbs propagate their own plants on site at their nursery in Alton.
Neil and Catherine/Pepperpot Herbs
Watering container plants is a skill. Both underwatering and overwatering is detrimental to plants and can kill them, therefore it’s vital to understand how your plants are faring and whether your plants really do need water before you reach for your watering can. The surface of the compost may appear dry, but there could be plenty of moisture beneath the surface and in fact, the compost around your plant’s roots could be perfectly moist and might not need any additional water. I always recommend poking your finger into the compost or tipping your plant out of the pot to see what the compost is really like around the plant’s roots.
Neil has found that all the different peat-free composts he’s used require different watering and feeding regimes. Some peat-free growing media dries out more quickly than others and requires more watering. He regularly lifts up trays of plants to gauge the weight of the compost, which gives him an insight into whether the plants need to be watered. At home you could regularly lift pots up to feel the weight of the container to help you judge whether or not to water your plants.
Neil and Catherine/Pepperpot Herbs
Over-watering is detrimental to plants. Each time you run water through your pot and onto the floor, you’re also rinsing the fertiliser out of the pot. I’ve been a peat-free gardener for decades and I find that when gardeners have problems with peat-free growing they often need to give their container-grown, peat-free plants a smaller quantity of water, administered more frequently.
When it comes to fertilisers, plants grown in the peat-free composts from Dalefoot Composts don’t require any additional fertilising at all; while plants grown in other peat-free growing medias need to be fertilised every week to succeed.
Pepperpot Herbs uses peat-free growing media from Sinclair, Jiffy, and Klasmann, which they and their plants are very happy with.
Pepperpot Herbs currently have around one hundred and thirty different types of herbs available to purchase on their website. They grow a wide range of culinary herbs, including chervil, sage, rosemary, French tarragon, thyme, chives, and mint. Customers can also enjoy many unusual varieties including ‘Lime Thyme’, ‘Chocolate Mint’, and ‘Lime Mint’. Pepperpot Herbs sell plants both wholesale to garden centres as well as selling plants online to retail customers, and at selected special events.
For more information or to check out the latest from Pepperpot Herbs, visit their website here.
You can also find Beth’s website here!
