In this special series highlighting grower’s experiences of using coir, we feature the story of
@Thegirlgardener. Having always been a keen gardener, @Thegirlgardener tells us how she
came across CoirProducts, and what she likes about them. With CoirCoins and Coir Grow Poles
being her favourites, she also spoke to how coir ticks all the boxes when it comes to
sustainability.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your gardening journey.
I am @Thegirlgardener and I grow in my cottage garden – I don’t live in a cottage, it’s just a
cottage garden, and it’s six years in the making. I live in a town, in a corner house with a good
sized garden and I love it! My garden is a whole mixture of flowers, fruit and vegetables, with a
few back garden hens and a very lazy cat!
How did you first get into growing your own plants, vegetables, or flowers?
I’ve always been an outdoorsy soul, and gardening has always been a part of me, not just a
lockdown project. I spent a lot of time in my mum’s cottage garden as a child – mud pies and
hands in the dirt. I gardened on my balcony for a long time once I grew up, wishing I’d have my
own patch of soil but appreciating what I had, and after 19 years of no garden, I finally have my
own that I can make into my own cottage garden
When did you first come across coir products, and what drew you to it?
When I first came across coir products, about 4 years ago, I honestly couldn’t believe that
growing mediums could be used that came from the waste products of coconuts. Crazy! But
clearly true and since I am always up for trying something once, I decided to have a go and see
what we have here.
What CoirProducts do you use most often — and what do you like about them?
My two favourite CoirProducts – and I absolutely love the first – are my CoirCoins. I cannot get
over how brilliant these are. For someone like me, who always ends up damaging seedlings,
they are perfect for sowing individual seeds and then just potting up the whole CoirCoin, once
the seedlings are big enough to transplant. It has honestly saved me from my own clumsiness! I
like that they come in different sizes so that I can choose the appropriate CoirCoin for the seed I
am sowing.
The other are the grow poles. As well as gardening, I love my houseplants and some of them,
like my monstera and pothos, are very happy growing up the grow poles. They are fuss free and
easy to work with
Have you noticed any differences when using coir compared to peat or other alternatives?
Coir is very light and airy compared to bagged compost. The bricks are compact so I am not
being shipped huge bags and because they come dry, there are no fungus gnats. This is
something I have struggled with so much when using shop bought bags of compost
Do you have a favourite crop or plant that grows particularly well in coir?
Cucumbers have done particularly well this year in the coir coins. But generally, most things that
I grow do well when I use coir. The added NPK is such a great addition to the compost, so I can
leave my seedlings a bit longer before having to feed them
What advice would you give to someone new to growing with coir products?
If you struggle with hauling bags of compost around, I recommend the coir bricks, they take up
very little room as they are very light and compact. Just get a large tub and hydrate with warm
water and you’re set for hours of seed sowing and potting on. I also recommend it if moving
away from plastic is important for you as they are all plastic and chemical free
What does sustainability mean to you in your gardening practice — and how does coir fit into that?
I like to use a range of different materials and growing methods in my garden, but one thing is
for sure. I will not use any chemicals, pesticides, poisons or anything of the sort in my garden.
My goal is to create a productive garden that is also a safe space for my children and wildlife,
and CoirProducts ticks all of those boxes being chemical free, biodegradable, cruelty free, and
peat free. Forget diamonds, CoirProducts my best friend!
What keeps you coming back to CoirProducts?
The thing that will always bring me back to coir, is that I know exactly what is and isn’t in it – very
simple, easy to understand and use. Its guilt free gardening, completely harmless to the
environment, so that I know that the space that I am given to take care of, is in fact being taken
care of
In this special series highlighting grower’s experiences of using coir, we feature the story of@Thegirlgardener. Having always been a keen gardener, @Thegirlgardener tells us how
Our featured grower, Jo talks about her experiences of growing with CoirProducts. Having first come across coir in garden centres, Jo saw coir as a
