Peat?

[Holly]

Hello all,

Following DEFRA's announcement that they aim to eliminate the use of peat in British gardens by 2020, I'm interested in your views on this matter.
Indicate your peat usage in the poll above, and let us know what you think about this method of composting in the thread below. For example, if you use an alternative, we'd love to know what has worked best for your garden.




Your comments may be edited and printed on the May edition of Grow Your Own.

[King Carrot]

what about these options as well:

I would use peat free but it's too expensive compared to peat based
No, peat free gets the best results

[Aberdeenplotter]

To me and my fellow vegetable exhibitors, peat free is an absolute disaster. I use over 2000 ltrs annually just for growing exhibition potatoes and there simply isn't an alternative available for this. The peat is re-used for other purposes in later years e.g for compost mixes for other types of exhibition vegetables and once through that process, it gets dug into my allotments as a much needed conditioner to a clay soil where it seems to disappear.

None of the so called alternatives have been proved to be satisfactory for the ordinary gardener either. Peat based composts have proved to be head and shoulders above the other kinds particularily with regard to moisture retention capabilities.

[Alison]

As I've said on many other threads, peat free can be more variable than the peat based stuff but if you shop around you can find good ones eg the New Horizon stuff which I've used for several years now. I see no justification whatsoever to use peat but then again I think we all should be reducing our reliance on bought in compost in general as it's not particularly sustainable to ship large heavy bags all over the place, whatever they contain.

[Alison]

None of the so called alternatives have been proved to be satisfactory for the ordinary gardener either. Peat based composts have proved to be head and shoulders above the other kinds particularily with regard to moisture retention capabilities.

I would totally disagree with this comment, I find peat free very satisfactory and I'd class myself as an ordinary gardener. Yes, you need to water more consistently but that's a good thing anyway.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I would totally disagree with this comment, I find peat free very satisfactory and I'd class myself as an ordinary gardener. Yes, you need to water more consistently but that's a good thing anyway.

It's most certainly not a good thing if you have to be away from home for any period of time that means your compost will dry out. The "alternatives" are almost imposiible to recharge with water.

[smallblueplanet]

To me and my fellow vegetable exhibitors, peat free is an absolute disaster...

I find it hard to believe that you speak for ALL exhibitors or that it wasn't possible to do these things before peat started to be used. As with plastic bags, there was a readily available and easily useable product before they were invented.

But anyway it's not an acceptable excuse for the destruction of peat bogs.

[FionaH]

I'm all for saving peat bogs. When an affordable, moisture retaining alternative is available, then I will buy it. I sometimes try to balance my conscience by mixing 50/50 peat and peat free.

However as I work in a garden centre I will use whatever split bags are going free

[binley100]

I use peat free mpc.....sometimes I mix with sand or vermiculite . Never had a problem , using it , but there again I don't grow for exhibition, just for the enjoyment and satisfaction of growing my own frsh produce.....

[Two_Sheds]

I trialled New Horizon Peat Free against B&Q mpc (67% peat) last year. The NH plants were bigger and stronger (I had photos but now can't find them, drat it)

[Pies]

To me and my fellow vegetable exhibitors, peat free is an absolute disaster. I use over 2000 ltrs annually just for growing exhibition potatoes and there simply isn't an alternative available for this. .

When everybody has to use peat free you are back on a level playing field .OK the results wont possibly be as good but it will be the same for everybody

[Holly]

what about these options as well:

I would use peat free but it's too expensive compared to peat based
No, peat free gets the best results

Added. Thanks KC.

H

[Hazel at the Hill]

None of the so called alternatives have been proved to be satisfactory for the ordinary gardener either. Peat based composts have proved to be head and shoulders above the other kinds particularily with regard to moisture retention capabilities.

Bit of a sweeping statement there, AP - I use New Horizon peat free and find it perfectily acceptable. Perhaps I am not an 'ordinary gardener'!

I think that there was a Which? report out not that long ago which showed the merits of different brands/compositions of composts - I don;t think that peat free came out too badly. I'll try to do a search and find it later if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I find it hard to believe that you speak for ALL exhibitors or that it wasn't possible to do these things before peat started to be used. As with plastic bags, there was a readily available and easily useable product before they were invented.

But anyway it's not an acceptable excuse for the destruction of peat bogs.

I make no apologies, I'm trying to grow the best it is possible to grow. I'm not trying to save the planet. Research shows that there is more peat being laid down naturally on an annual basis than is being extracted and there is a huge amount of unwarranted hype on the subject.

[Shadylane]

I've gone peat free this year after using up the last of last seasons mpc. I never bought it before because round here the only stuff you could get was in small bags or the extortionate organic peat free stuff. The garden centres should be pushing it more and making it more affordable really.

I got some from B&Q but it's not great - too much wood. I've read a lot about the new horizon stuff on here and called them for a list of suppliers and happily there's one not too far, but last time I went they didn't have any yet(too early). If I can get hold of this stuff then I'll stick with peat free and maybe use my own allotment made compost too.