Garden Survey — Service Terms

These terms sit alongside our general Customer Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1    What the Garden Survey is

The Garden Survey is a free visit, available to all Hortimate Club members, with no obligation to purchase anything. During the survey we assess your garden, carry out a soil analysis, set up a hedgehog detection kit, and afterwards provide you with a planting and soil improvement report. Its purpose is to understand your garden so we can advise you and, if you wish, support you with our services.

There is no charge for the Garden Survey. When you book, we ask for card details only as a confirmation step, to keep the service available to genuine local members — your card is never charged for the survey.

2    One survey per property

The Garden Survey is available once per property. It is intended for new gardens we have not yet assessed.

3    Availability

We offer the Garden Survey subject to availability. Because each survey takes time and care, we may sometimes limit how many new surveys we take on, and open more availability as space allows. If no survey times are available when you look, you can register your interest and we will offer you a time when one becomes available.

4    What's included

  • ·         Soil analysis. We carry out an eight-factor soil analysis at your survey, covering soil moisture, temperature, conductivity, pH, the key nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and identification of your soil type. This is included free with every survey.

  • ·         Planting and soil improvement report. After your survey we prepare a report covering your soil results and our planting and soil improvement recommendations. This report is free and is normally sent within about a week of your survey.

  • ·         Hedgehog detection kit. We set up a hedgehog detection tunnel in your garden, supplied with inked tracking sheets and a small starter portion of hedgehog food. This kit is free and is yours to keep.

5    Your hedgehog detection kit

The hedgehog detection tunnel and its contents are provided free and belong to you. You are welcome to keep it in use for as long as you like. You can make more tracking sheets yourself, and you can buy more hedgehog food from the suppliers we recommend.

The tunnel is around a metre long, and you may prefer not to keep it through the winter or at all. You are under no obligation to keep it, and you are not responsible for looking after it. If you would like us to take it away, you can request collection in your member area. We will collect it within three days of your request — simply leave it beside your wheelie bins, or another easily accessible spot, as described when you request collection.

6    Reporting hedgehog activity

If your kit detects hedgehog activity, we would love you to let us know. Reporting is entirely voluntary. We combine reports from across the area into anonymised totals, which we share with hedgehog conservation organisations to support their work. Information shared in this way cannot identify you or your property.

7    Microscope soil analysis (optional add-on)

  • In addition to the standard soil analysis included with your survey, you can choose an optional microscope soil analysis. This provides a closer examination of your soil under the microscope, with photographs and identification of any issues we find, set out in a separate report.

  • The microscope analysis is a paid add-on, charged at the price shown on our website. You can request it when you book your survey, or at the time of the survey itself. If you request it at booking, we will invoice you separately rather than charge your card at the time.

  • If you take out a Slugist Standard subscription within three months of your survey, the microscope analysis is provided free: if you have not yet been invoiced, we will not invoice you; if you have already paid, we will refund you in full. This applies to the Slugist Standard subscription only.

8    No obligation

The Garden Survey, the soil analysis, the report, and the hedgehog kit are provided free and place you under no obligation to buy any service from us.

9    How we contact you

We will contact you about your survey by email and, where you have agreed to it, by SMS. You can manage your SMS preference in your member profile. How we use your contact details is explained in our Privacy Policy.

10  Access and your responsibilities

You are responsible for providing safe access to your garden for the survey, and for telling us about any hazards or anything we should know. The survey is a daytime visit, and it helps if you can be available to talk us through your garden and what you would like from it.

11  General

Our general Customer Terms and our Privacy Policy apply to the Garden Survey. Where these terms cover something specific to the survey, they apply in addition to our general terms.