[rowlandwells]

is fortunate that allotment clubs and allotment associations can bulk purchase compost's but for the everyday home gardener that will end up paying top price its not that exiting  you will find most of the garden centres are selling there composts all about the same price and I take the point that there are some peat free composts out there that are giving good growing results at a price

as  most of the premium brands of peat free are more costly than the peat based and to be honest when the peat ban comes in we will be limited to buying peat free at I would suggest at higher price than your paying now

we are still paying £17.00 for 3 60LTR bags of peat based possibly until the stock runs out but I have to say the best peat free I've used was with added John inns but it was way above the price I expected to pay for a bag of compost

so come 2024 its peat free or nothing unless you make your own and all this coco coi coming half way across the world so much for the carbon footprint A

[Growster...]

Peat is sustainable in Canada, so can be exported, rather like the coir stuff from Asia, which needs to be washed, sterilised etc., before being carted over here in huge diesel-powered ships at vast expense.

No wonder prices will hike!

[Goosegirl]

Interesting take on that Growster. Never gave that a thought, but presumably the same will apply to both peat and peat-free compost. Would hydroponics be a viable option?? 

[Growster...]

Interesting take on that Growster. Never gave that a thought, but presumably the same will apply to both peat and peat-free compost. Would hydroponics be a viable option?? 

I've often wondered about that, GG...

After all, the tomatoes you see in Tesco  huge hydroponic greenhouses in Thanet, (Thanet Earth), and there's not a tsp of soil anywhere to be seen!

I'm sure that a measure of soil in any mix brings huge differences to flavour, taste etc., so maybe a loam-based compost, with some sort of peat-like substance is the answer...

To me, the import of coir, after all its farming, cleansing and carting around around the world is an extravagant nod to the wrong sort of 'green' ethic, but there again, I tend to be more of a realist each day!

The peat based stuff in my compost heap will hopefully last for some time, as it will be recycled every year, and by the time it has finished, it may also be the time for me to be recycled as well..;0)

[AnneB]

is fortunate that allotment clubs and allotment associations can bulk purchase compost's but for the everyday home gardener that will end up paying top price its not that exiting  you will find most of the garden centres are selling there composts all about the same price and I take the point that there are some peat free composts out there that are giving good growing results at a price

as  most of the premium brands of peat free are more costly than the peat based and to be honest when the peat ban comes in we will be limited to buying peat free at I would suggest at higher price than your paying now

we are still paying £17.00 for 3 60LTR bags of peat based possibly until the stock runs out but I have to say the best peat free I've used was with added John inns but it was way above the price I expected to pay for a bag of compost

so come 2024 its peat free or nothing unless you make your own and all this coco coi coming half way across the world so much for the carbon footprint A

Actually our allotment association is very small and we don't have any special discount, we don't order enough for that.  So we paid the best price we could find locally from someone who could deliver.  We paid the same as any member of the public. We bought 2 pallets worth.  It was mainly to help out tenants who do not have a car.

[jezza]

Hello my mate grows a lot of bedding plants,the supplier he has in Edingburgh isnt allowed to sell plants with peat based compost below the Scottish border but can sell ad many as he can produce in Scotland,will another reliable renewable compost be banned in the near future LEAF MOLD ,the way councils are felling trees there soon wont be any trees left to produce leaves    jezza

[snowdrops]

As our gardening clubs store manager, we have a trade account with a supplier of gardening supplies & purchase our composts from them. We can buy as many or as few bags as we want, which helps, I then add a bit of profit for the club. But realistically we can’t compete with the big garden centres etc n price, some members just buy from us to support the club or because it’s convenient. As for fertilisers etc we are much cheaper than most other places as we buy in in 25kg bags & decant into 2.5 kgs

[R0b1et]

@Jezza
I think you are confusing banning and being unable to produce. That said, there's no shortage of leaves here.

[Yorkie]

As our gardening clubs store manager, we have a trade account with a supplier of gardening supplies & purchase our composts from them. We can buy as many or as few bags as we want, which helps, I then add a bit of profit for the club. But realistically we can’t compete with the big garden centres etc n price, some members just buy from us to support the club or because it’s convenient. As for fertilisers etc we are much cheaper than most other places as we buy in in 25kg bags & decant into 2.5 kgs

We have a similar approach. You're probably already aware that, with nitrochalk and I think potato fertiliser,  there are new regulations about certification before buying large quantities, and reporting of such sales by the association (if you do any). We need to read up on it too.

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

I was looking for an update on this as I was perplexed that our local Garden Centre is still selling peat based compost (I had thought it was banned from the start of the year) and came across this:

https://www.bali.org.uk/news/second-reading-on-the-prohibition-of-sale-on-peat-delayed/

But with parliament now dissolved this seems to have been pushed into touch for some time yet.

Hopefully the companies use this additional time to work on their quality control of peat free composts.

[Hampshire Hog]

Never mind peat based compost.
One of my local garden centres actually still sells pure peat.
Given the quality of peat free compost I have wondered if I should buy some.
Even though I realise this is heresy.

[New shoot]

I would be tempted.  A bale of peat would last you a long time as a compost additive.  I agree with the quote in the article PPL posted.  A lot of this rush to ban is gesture politics.

I’m buying coir, John Innes and extra fertiliser to mix with peat free to get something I can actually grow things in.  Is that more or less environmental impact that using sustainable peat 

My local B&Q were doing lots of bargains on outdoor plants the other day when I popped in - for something else but obviously then became distracted    I bought some veg plants to fill gaps and a few bedding plants.  They all seemed to be growing in a coir mix compost.  As Growster says earlier in this thread, the production of coir has some dubious ‘green’ credentials.