It's not the harvest you reap, but the seeds you sow.

I’m doing something rather controversial. Instead of using the usual seed compost, which is sterile, I’m going to start off my seeds in the home compost. 

Mainly because I’m curious how well and which seeds would perform, but also because until 1939 the concept of seed compost didn’t exist. People relied on sifting their own garden soil mixed with worm castings, silt collected from rivers and if available soil from mole hills, although that one might be a bit of a myth.

The seed compost recipe and heat sterilisation process were both released to the public by John Innes institute as part of the “Dig for Victory” campaign to aid feeding a rationed population during World War II.