Nursery World - Mind that compost

As spring approaches and our thoughts turn to planting and growing with the children, I wish to draw other providers' attention to a fact raised by a parent in our setting. She was told by the firm William Sinclair Horticulture that compost can contain bone meal, dried blood, fish blood and bone and possibly chicken manure, but these are not normally listed in detail. When children are handling the planting medium, practitioners must take care with hand washing. If you are putting out compost for children to play with instead of sand, it is probably best to use either peat or John Innes compost, which should not contain these additives.

When children are handling the planting medium, practitioners must take care with hand washing. If you are putting out compost for children to play with instead of sand, it is probably best to use either peat or John Innes compost, which should not contain these additives.

Heather Munn, Nursery manager, the University of East Anglia Nursery, Norwich, Norfolk.

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