A new campaign was launched today by Defra secretary in Kew Gardens (peat free since 1992) to encourage gardeners to use peat free compost. Amateur gardeners use around 70% of the peat extracted for the industry and half of the peat that we use is from abroad which makes the carbon footprint caused by peat extraction even bigger.
The horticulture industry uses about three million cubic metre of peat each year. Many gardeners do not even realize that the compost they buying contains peat, and it is in the grow bags too. The excavation damages wild habitats and the peat soils are great carbon stores.
The aim is to make the home gardener go peat free by 2020. So watch out in the garden centre, check the label on the compost bag and make your decision. So, what compost you want to sow your vegetable seeds into?
