[FatGaz]

Hi All,

I bought some compost from Wilko's the other day, and noticed today when I was using it, that it was 'Reduced Peat Formula' compost. Are people usually against using Peat because its bad for the environment?

Also, are there veg that suit / hate peat?

[muntjac]

brassicas dont like the looseness that peat gives them in the ground .plant them in a good soil/manure mix .and tread down around the root stem

[Annie]

People are against peat as it eliminates compleat habitats which take 100s of years to produce and notime to destroy.There are plenty of alternatives to peat based composts available, and good grownig mediums, which when you bear in mind that most veg are not bog plants is not suprising.

[muntjac]

peat has little or no fertilityin it .its uses are for moisture retention , use soil n peat free if you want to save the peatbogs  being used  

[FatGaz]

:oops:  I must take more notice when I buy my compost!!!  :oops:

[Annie]

ialways use peatfree compost ,the cheapest you can find,just check that it is not old compost sold off cheap from last year if you are planting seeds,in my experience it isn`t a problem if potting on as the plants are hardier.

[muntjac]

if i want compost i will go n buy a 120 litre peat bale make my own compost up from scratch 4 focus bags sharp sand and the relevant fertiliser usually growmore .it makes me about a third of a ton .if its in a bag its already werthless they have now started to stop digging it up in  abig way as its now being seen for its ecological uses .and with the use of more alternatives coming into the market it will decrease its use even more ,

[WG.]

This posting might get me shot down in flames for non-political correctness but have you guys seen how MUCH darned peat-bog is around in Scotland (and Ireland).

Its not like there's a greenshank nesting every few yards ...

This means that the Highlands and Islands have a population density of only 9.5 people per square kilometre compared to 65.5 people per square kilometre for Scotland, and 241 people per square kilometre for the United Kingdom as a whole.

... and half of them are probably in Inverness!

[John]

Peat is still used in power stations in Ireland.  Seems to me that gardening at least leaves it in the environment.  I'm not sure that using it is such a bad thing.
I'm open to being convinced either way.

[Annie]

A lot of the peat in garden centres is no from this contry we`re stripping other contries habitats mostly to grow  flowers and veg.when there are perfectly good alternatives.

[WG.]

A lot of the peat in garden centres is no from this contry

But I'm sure a lot of it is from this country - creating jobs in rural districts ...

Like John, I am interested rather than opinionated on this subject.  I can see both arguments.

Personally, I buy no compost at all since I get loads from my wormery and compost heap.  I have bought milled peat in bulk in the past since it makes great beds for heathers, azaleas, etc.   Perfect for casing mushrooms too.

David

[Annie]

Well we`ve already destroyed 94%of UK peat bogs,the republic of Ireland provide some and mechanical stripping in Eastern Europe started years ago for processing in this country.
Used as a fuel the carbon emissions are much higher than those of coal.Peat bogs lock up a lot of carbon too and they also release hugh amounts when they are drained or destroyed.

[Correzienne]

I've tried to avoid using peat, but none of the alternatives seem to work quite as well - the proportion used in gardening is a very small part of the total extracted. I've always understood compost goes off after a year but was recently told by a rep for a firm selling compost wholesale that it's fine for use for at least two - the only problem being that the plastic bags start to degrade, fade and split after a few months exposure to sunlight, (and moonlight!) I think it was probably in his interest to tell me it went off quicker- still trying to work that out - best probably to try it and see.

[John]

Well we`ve already destroyed 94%of UK peat bogs,the republic of Ireland provide some and mechanical stripping in Eastern Europe started years ago for processing in this country.
Used as a fuel the carbon emissions are much higher than those of coal.Peat bogs lock up a lot of carbon too and they also release hugh amounts when they are drained or destroyed.

I wasn't suggesting using it as fuel is a good thing, more that worring about garden use when others are consuming it by the ton wasn't that worthwhile.
Garden use won't release CO2 -
A lot of our peat bogs have gone but so have many other natural habitats - forests and wetlands for agriculture, pasture for houses etc.  The population density in England is some 10 times that of some areas of rural France so of course we are going to destroy much of our countryside.

[Salkeela]

Garden use won't release CO2 -

Tragically it probably will - not as quickly as burning granted, but the respiration of soil bacteria that decay the compost over time will release CO2 and water just the same as the burning.  With any luck this will be offset by the improved growth rate of the plants that grow in the compost, thus returning some of the carbon to living matter.

Peat bogs are a carbon sink in the same way as coal, oil and gas.  It took years for them to be accumulated - they will not be replaced in our lifetimes (nor indeed many, many of our lifetimes).