Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi I am new here although not to the website or the Magazine, been subscribing for some time, also been growing veggies and now some fruit for at least the last 15 years.

However this year have had a serious problem with getting my seeds started, firstly they the seeds seemed reluctant to put their roots into the seed compost, they germinated but wanted to leave their roots in the air. Those that did germinate and were then potted on turned a wonderful shade of dark red/maroon and were severely stunted. Some things seemed OK. The main probs were with brassicas, marigolds, cucumbers, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes as well as most of our flowers.

We bought some more compost and the problem did not happen again, so we think that its down to something in the original compost. We did plant on some of the tomatoes that were purple and stunted into the new compost, and they grew out of their redness, and the plants are now quite green and sturdy.

Any ideas what could possibly have been in that compost and will it be deterimental to our garden or for that matter the health of any one who consumes the crops that started in that compost? We are now aout 4-6 weeks behind with this years crops