[rowlandwells]

someone asked me if the  peat based compost ban had been extended for the home gardener but didn't know if this was true  as I haven't heard any thing mentioned about this in the garden media so I wondered if this was true has anyone heard about this ?

[snowdrops]

My reliable sources are saying it will be at the end of 2024 now

[mumofstig]

We can use it 'til the end of 2024, but professionals get longer to adjust, which hardly seems fair, but there you go

Peat ban timeline

2024 – ban on the retail sales of bagged peat compost
2026 – ban on other professional uses of peat, with exemptions including growing plug plants, mushroom growing and other ‘plant types or production methods where peat cannot be readily replaced’
2030 – ban on all uses of peat
Today’s announcement will allow a large proportion of professional growers to continue to use peat to grow plants and mushrooms.

https://www.lancswt.org.uk/news/uk-government-confirms-total-ban-all-peat-based-gardening-products-will-not-be-implemented

[Growster...]

Yes, I read somewhere that the 'ban' was being extended!

I haven't noticed any manufacturers offering a better substitute to the GCs yet, and our local people are just re-ordering until they're told to stop - presumably by some Gardening Tsar, based somewhere in Whitehall!

[Ema]

I really hope the RHS standardised peat free compost. It’s so variable at the moment and John Inns mixes need to be forgotten about they just confuse novice gardeners.
I’m disappointed with all plants I’ve bought in a peat based compost recently - you have to shake out all the compost and start again as I find the peat  compost and mine or the soil just don’t mix well for watering.

[snowdrops]

I’ve just bought 4bags of Sylvagrow (which is all peat free across their range & always has been since they started trading) from garden club, we’ve reduced it to £7 a bag as it’s not sold, but I used it this year for lots of things & was pleased with it. We had their rep give us a talk on the 19th & it was very interesting & informative. Perhaps people might like to look out for a talk nearby. The chap is coming to give part 2 of his talk next year.

[Yorkie]

We swear by sylvagrow at the allotment shop.

We haven't sold peat based compost for a couple of years now.

[Kleftiwallah]

Well I would like to stock up on a few bags of peat based compost.  The trouble is finding the stuff.

Cheers,  Tony

[snowdrops]

We swear by sylvagrow at the allotment shop.

We haven't sold peat based compost for a couple of years now.

That’s great Yorkie. I wish my customers would embrace the changes so well. How did you get them to change? Or was it a case of there was nothing else ordered in? Out of interest how much do you retail a bag for please?

[mumofstig]

Well I would like to stock up on a few bags of peat based compost.  The trouble is finding the stuff.

Cheers,  Tony

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westland-Gardeners-Multi-Purpose-Compost-50L/dp/B0C77RL1K5/ref=sr_1_37?crid=3650NIUSR1C55&keywords=peat+based+compost+uk&qid=1696188275&sprefix=peat+based+compost+uk%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-37

[Goosegirl]

I’m disappointed with all plants I’ve bought in a peat based compost recently - you have to shake out all the compost and start again as I find the peat  compost and mine or the soil just don’t mix well for watering.

I've found that plants don't like being moved from a peat-based compost straight into soil, so I mix them in equal amounts then pot them on which seems to work.

[Growster...]

I really hope that the ban has been extended, as I've just told the lovely lady in our GC that it has, and we've all spent half an hour trying to find out...

[Yorkie]

We swear by sylvagrow at the allotment shop.

We haven't sold peat based compost for a couple of years now.

That’s great Yorkie. I wish my customers would embrace the changes so well. How did you get them to change? Or was it a case of there was nothing else ordered in? Out of interest how much do you retail a bag for please?

We had peat-free (possibly New Horizon - whatever the RHS / Which recommended before Sylvagrow) on an offer alongside peat based compost for a year or two. But we have some strongly minded association members who had been pushing for peat-free only for a few years, and so eventually we just only sold that.

Earlier this year we also managed to get a pallet load of Happy peat-free compost. It was cheaper, and not as good for seeds I think, but was adequate for the lesser price.

The cost of NH and now Sylvagrow has gone up over the last year or two, but if memory serves right I think we retail it at £9 per bag (60L? 50L?). Obviously, it's more than you'd pay for peat based stuff at the garden centres etc, but I think for the same product elsewhere we are competitive.

[Growster...]

Our GC has now confirmed that the deadline for them selling peat-based products is indeed the end of 2024!

Anyone for 'Jack's Not-so-Magical...'!

[AnneB]

We swear by sylvagrow at the allotment shop.

We haven't sold peat based compost for a couple of years now.

That’s great Yorkie. I wish my customers would embrace the changes so well. How did you get them to change? Or was it a case of there was nothing else ordered in? Out of interest how much do you retail a bag for please?

We had peat-free (possibly New Horizon - whatever the RHS / Which recommended before Sylvagrow) on an offer alongside peat based compost for a year or two. But we have some strongly minded association members who had been pushing for peat-free only for a few years, and so eventually we just only sold that.

Earlier this year we also managed to get a pallet load of Happy peat-free compost. It was cheaper, and not as good for seeds I think, but was adequate for the lesser price.

The cost of NH and now Sylvagrow has gone up over the last year or two, but if memory serves right I think we retail it at £9 per bag (60L? 50L?). Obviously, it's more than you'd pay for peat based stuff at the garden centres etc, but I think for the same product elsewhere we are competitive.

Our allotment association provided everyone with 2 free bags of Happy peat free compost this year.  Nobody complained about it being peat free as it was a gift.  I used it for seeds and potting up and found it fine for both. Sadly the company that made it has ceased production.  Will have to see what we get next year.
Nobody has said they disliked the compost or found it to be a problem.
In fact we had some surplus bags that we sold at cost price and they were all snapped up very quickly.