"I try to kepp away from peat-based products and use alternatives wherever possible. I certainly don't use peat in my own garden - unless I buy a plant from a nursery, which has been potted with a peat-based medium.
"There are some gardeners who swear by peat and say that other growing mediums simply don't compete.
"I'm not as concerned aobut individual plant performance as I am about the environment. It boils down to a question of priorities"
Joe Swift, Television gardener and designer
Peat grows naturally in a living bog. Plants living on the surface - such as sphagnum mosses, bog cotton and heathers - don't rot when they die because the ground is water-logged. They form peat.
Why
are peat-bogs important?
The UK's lowland raised peat bogs are amongst the most important and valuable
wildlife habitats we have. They are home to many important species of birds,
thousands of rare insect species and a wealth of unusual plants. But only
a fragment of near-natural bog remains in the UK, with more than 94% having
been damaged or destroyed.
Bogs are also useful cultural reserves. The ecology of bogs makes them excellent for preserving archaeological remains and palaeoecological research. Lindow man was discovered in a bog in Cheshire where he had lain undisturbed for over 2,000 years.
Why
are peat-bogs being destroyed?
Amateur gardeners account for around 70% of peat used in horticulture. Together
with other uses of peat, this is a major threat to our remaining peat bogs.
To extract peat, the bog is drained and the surface stripped of vegetation,
a process which kills the bog. Peat-bogs act as carbon sinks, so they can
also help reduce climate change. Their destruction is therefore a serious
loss both to wildlife and people. Once destroyed, they are gone forever.
How
you can help
It has never been easier to go peat-free. Whether in your vegetable plot,
bedding plants for throughout your garden, you can kick the peat habit. By
using peat-free products, you are gardening for wildlife and helping to safeguard
our peat bogs.
Famous gardens such as Highgrove, The Natural History Museum and Cabinet Office do not use any peat or chemicals in their wildlife gardens. You can follow their example by:
- Buying peat-free or making your own compost
- Asking for plants grown in peat-free compost
- Asking your MP to press for government action to protect peatlands
- Asking
your local garden centre for a copy of its peat policy
- Refusing
to shop in garden centres stocking peat from SSSIs
- Joining Cumbria Wildlife Trust, helping it to protect Cumbria's peat bog
The following
websites give further information on peat-free products:
www.crocus.co.uk
www.fertilefibre.co.uk
www.peateringout.com
www.terraecosystems.com
www.vitalizer.tv
