Category: Soils and Composting

Digging into the future – new trends in the world of soil

Posted on February 11, 2026 by - Soils and Composting, Woodhorn Group

In January 2026, we met with leading topsoil consultant Tim O’Hare to explore the development of a new range of engineered soil products which better meet the needs of landscaping projects – now and in the future. Demand for these specialist soils is being driven mainly by landscape architects and Tier 1 contractors who are keen to meet the changing requirements of urban infrastructure projects. Driven by shifting climate patterns (particularly wetter winters and drier summers) and more stringent sustainability standards, there’s a growing need for soils which can deliver consistently in urban environments.

Our discussions focused primarily around bioretention soils, SuDS soils and tree pit soils. So what are these engineered soils and why do they matter to today’s landscaping projects?

What is Bioretention Soil?
Bioretention soil is a high-performance growing medium used in sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), rain gardens and bioretention basins. It helps manage stormwater runoff by filtering water, removing pollutants such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons and controlling excess surface water.

Bioretention soils are typically made from a sandy loam blend, using around 85–88% sand. This ensures high permeability and rapid drainage while still providing good support for healthy plant growth.

What is SuDS Soil?
SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) soil is a free-draining blend designed to manage surface water runoff in urban environments. It enables rapid infiltration, filtration and temporary storage of water, helping to reduce flood risk and pressure on traditional drainage infrastructure.

SuDS soils are commonly used in rain gardens and bioretention systems. This type of soil also helps promote biodiversity and supports plants to establish themselves well.

What is Tree Pit Soil?
Tree pit soil is an uncompacted, nutrient-rich growing medium designed to support tree root development in challenging urban environments. It’s typically used where space is restricted or where trees are planted in hard-landscaped or high-traffic areas.

This type of soil blend is specially formulated to provide water retention, drainage and aeration, helping to prevent compaction, nutrient deficiency and poor root growth underneath paved or sealed surfaces.

Our next steps
These interesting discussions with Tim focused on the relevant specifications, performance requirements and the types of raw materials which are expected in these engineered soil blends. With a clear need in the sector, we’ll be working closely with Tim to help develop this range of new engineered soils, so that we can bring these products to market with confidence.

A Day in the Life –Tim Eames, Tangmere Recycling Site Manager

Posted on May 8, 2025 by - Blog, Soils and Composting, Waste Management, Woodhorn Group

Tim Eames manages our green waste recycling site at Tangmere in West Sussex. As part of our meet the team series, Tim explains what his role entails and shares how a typical day on site looks.

I’m usually up by 6am, fuelled by a strong coffee and a quick breakfast. While I’m waking up, I check over the day’s plan and pick up any early messages – if someone’s off or something’s changed, I’ll tweak the schedule before heading out.

By 7:20am I’m on site, giving myself a bit of time before the team arrives. Our daily briefing kicks off at 7:30am. It’s our chance to sort the plan for the day – who’s doing what, any safety points, visits from contractors, that sort of thing. We’ll go over everything from green waste processing and compost screening to batch turning, production and any machinery faults.

By 8am we’re in full swing. I make sure all the kit – loaders, shredders, and screeners – are running properly, then do a walkaround to spot any issues that might’ve cropped up overnight. I’ll check fences, lagoon levels, and generally make sure the place is good to go.

Mid-morning, I take a closer look at the site operations to make sure we’re sticking to the rules and the Site operating safely. It’s also a chance to see what needs tidying up and prompt the team with any operational support in each area, we do get regular visitors, so keeping the place looking sharp matters.

Lunchtime is usually quick – just a bite while I catch up on admin. I’ll input daily numbers, look at weighbridge logs, and keep the health and safety records up to date. I also spend some time offering support on how the team’s doing and jot down notes for any training or development chats we’ve got coming up.

Early afternoon, I dive into the more behind-the-scenes stuff – ordering parts and supplies, tracking down anything we need to keep the place ticking along. That means everything from workshop tools and PPE to getting quotes from suppliers and checking we’re getting a fair deal.

Later in the afternoon, it’s often time for meetings, either with customers, contractors, or just internal catchups. We talk about how to improve the site layout, make things easier for vehicle access, deal with any drainage or safety issues, and plan ahead for upcoming operational needs.

By 4:30pm, we’re wrapping up. I check that all machinery’s shut down and site is being prepared for being locked with one last walk around. By 5pm, we’re all closed and ready for tomorrow. It’s a good feeling to know the site’s clean, the team’s done a solid job, and we’ve stayed on top of everything.

Then it’s time to clock out, take a breather, and get ready to do it all again tomorrow in the world of waste and compost.

Down on the farm – February 2021

Posted on February 23, 2021 by - Blog, Down on the farm, Environmental Management, Farming and Dairy, Soils and Composting, Woodhorn Group

Overall organic food and drink sales in the UK increased by 12.6% in 2020, the highest growth in 15 years. Farm shops have thrived and there are positive signs that people are becoming more interested in provenance and even seasonality. Dairy and meat sales have also increased over the last year. Until the pandemic I thought it was farmers that fed the nation, but I have since learned it is Sainsburys and Tesco. But regardless, all of you, our customers, place a great deal of trust in us as farmers to not only deliver food that is safe, tastes good and is priced fairly, but is produced to the highest standards in terms of animal welfare and care for the environment. Thank you.

Whilst I may not be inclined to praise the major multiples, I was pleasantly surprised to have my suspicion of large food and retail businesses challenged, even if for a rather unfortunate reason. Covid inevitably caused significant challenges across the fresh food sector, including temporary drops in demand for milk as the ‘service sector’ (you would be amazed to know how much milk is sold daily through the nation’s coffee shops!) was forced to shut down. The impact was felt acutely by Organic farmers too, but for the surprising reason that it turns out that McDonald’s and Pret a Manger are the biggest buyers of organic milk in the hospitality industry, but of course they were hit extremely hard by lockdown. Thankfully, organic milk sales to the public eventually boomed and Yeo Valley (100% organic yoghurts and butter) have had a record year.

The combination of global pandemic and Brexit was never going to be a good news story. Our organic dairy cooperative exports to Europe and the USA and this activity now ranges from extremely difficult to impossible, despite the much heralded (and greatly welcomed) Brexit deal. We also export organic barley to Europe to make organic beer. Brexit destroyed this market pre-deal and then the pandemic has finished it off due to the collapse of beers sales because bar closures across Europe.

Probably the most unexpected consequence of Covid, for us, was the uplift in online sales of our Earth Cycle products last spring when garden centres were closed. An ‘ill wind’ I guess, but one we were grateful for.

Of course, almost every business has its Covid and Brexit challenges and we are lucky and far more fortunate than many, and few have open fields and countryside to enjoy at work. I must pay tribute also to the Woodhorn Team and all key workers who have been incredible in their determination to work through this most challenging of times with diligence, dedication, and good humour.

We have been enormously saddened and shocked at the (non Covid related but completely unexpected) passing of Richard Cousins who had led the arable farm team for the last ten years at Woodhorn. Many of you will have known him or seen him ploughing his furrow (literally) and no doubt some of your children will remember him from the visits to the farm by the March school which were hosted by Richard. He is, and will continue to be, sorely missed.

Spring in its on its way and it is the time I must apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused by muck spreading and rook scaring. Both are essential functions of producing Organic crops, but we always recognise our duty to minimise the impact on our community as much as possible. We take this seriously but thank you in advance for your understanding when needed.

Our focus on carbon reduction and the potential impacts of climate change is proving time (a scarce resource at the moment!) consuming and challenging, but also fascinating. Bit by bit we are creating a comprehensive plan to take what I hope has been a positive eco strategy for the past 20 + years, to the next stage. Carbon management will focus on building soil organic matter (removing carbon from the atmosphere and ‘storing’ it in the soil), dairy nutrition and renewable energy. Water resource management (driven by increasing water scarcity during drier summers and flooding concerns due to wetter winters) will look at storing winter rainfall for summer use. We are also in the process of creating a new scheme to benefit our flora and fauna by the creation of new and improved areas to support pollinators and birds (for example). We are learning all the time. For example, a bat has been discovered on the farm (the Barbastelle bat) that I had not only never heard of but is under serious threat, being one of the rarest mammals in the UK. Only this week I learned of the advantages of planting small strategically sited groups of trees to disrupt the movement of harmful particles in the air emanating from road traffic. Something else we will look at with interest.

John Pitts

Earth Cycle receives Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award 2021

Posted on January 20, 2021 by - Earth Cycle Soils and Composts, News, Soils and Composting, Woodhorn Group

Feefo Platinum Trusted Customer Service Award 2021

Earth Cycle has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, as rated by real customers.
Created by Feefo, Trusted Service is awarded only to businesses that use Feefo to collect genuine reviews and insights. Businesses meeting the high standard, based on the number of reviews they have collected and their average rating, receive the award. A highly-valued badge of approval, this accreditation remains unique, as it is based purely on the interactions with real customers. As all reviews are verified as genuine, the accreditation is a true reflection of a business’s commitment to outstanding service. Feefo gives Platinum Trusted Service awards to businesses that have achieved the Feefo Gold standard for three consecutive years or more. The Feefo Gold Trusted Service award recognises organisations that have collected at least 50 Feefo reviews in a year and have achieved a service rating of at least 4.5.
Nick Martin, Marketing Manager at The Woodhorn Group commented “We’re very excited to receive this award from Feefo because it’s based on the feedback of real customers, who are the most important judges of all. It recognises how hard we work to give all our customers the best possible experience, even in a year as tough as 2020. Everyone at Earth Cycle is fully committed to the highest quality of service, so it’s important for us to listen, understand and respond to all our customers. The beauty of Feefo is that it enables us to consistently improve, so we’re looking forward to another successful year.”
The Earth Cycle brand of peat-free composts and topsoils are sold primarily online, and to be recognised for the award after a year which saw a huge surge in demand for gardening products due to the first national lockdown creating a wave of new gardeners ordering online, makes this an especially satisfying award for everyone at Woodhorn involved in the processing, manufacturing, and sending out of these orders at a difficult time where we had to adapt quickly. It is recognition of how everyone in the company worked together as a team to meet the expectations of our customers.
Feefo is a reviews and customer insights technology company that provides businesses with the tools to collect real, purchase-verified reviews and insights. Working with over 3,500 clients, Feefo ensures that all feedback is authentic, by matching it to a legitimate transaction, in order to increase consumer confidence and enable businesses to make smarter business decisions.