Hamish's Blog

I read an article by Peter Seabrook this week who found he had the same results as you did. He made the point that peat is being deliberately made, it is now like a sustainable resource, so maybe we can stop feeling guilty when we use peat-based composts. I tried some peat free compost for flower seedlings and they just didn't grow properly. I do also compost everything I can to enrich our soil to minimise the amount I have to buy. We can only do our best and it is a waste of time, money and effort to use inferior products.

tks, nice to know others have the same prob. I agree we can anly do our best and try new things but abandon if they dont work.

Hi Hamish, I'll confess now that I probably fall into the eco-warrior camp and I wouldn't use peat based compost in my garden. Having said that I've not experienced the merits of each (nor will I) but I am in the fortunate position that I garden for gardening's sake, not because I need the crops; although I enjoy them a lot more than bought veg, successful crops are not vital to me.

As for performance on non-peat based compost I have been happy with my first year of growing but I don't know if there are plants which require richer compost.

tks for comments, I do try to be eco friendly, but I'm not sure if every thing we are told is correct, I like to find things out for myself. In somerset we have local peat moors so it is quite an issue here.

Hamish, could you make your own compost from kitchen waste? it costs nothing,

yes I do, and I recycle as much as I can. In Sedgemoor we have a composting facilty and the compost is sold back to people. It was just I wanted to do an experment to see If the claim that non peat compost is as good if not better than peat based, was true. For me the claim is not true.

If I do need to buy compost, I always go for peat-based, but only if I know (like wood) it is from sustainable sources. peat-based saves a fortune (in time, energy and water bills) in maintenance. I also like to compare my native Scotish peat industry to the cork producing industry of Portugal - so many plant and insect species rely on it and its human management for survival. If the product states that it is from a regenerable and managed source, I am happy to use it. Anything else is - a stated by others - false economy, and detrimental to another valuable resource - water!

good point , local somerset peat producers are following a similar system, I believe

Peat based compost is not an option here unless you sell a kidney to pay for it!! Most gardens around us are mainly veggie patches with a few flowers but things are slowly changing. The soil seems to be good enough on it's own for excellent crop yields with just a bit of feed added as and when they feel like it haha
Our local town hall provides compost bins for free to encourage recycling.

yes, when I had an allotment I never used peat only compost (home) and manure. For raise beds I need to buy in "soil" hence the experiment.

Hi Hamish, I've used one bag to three non peat composts in my raised beds - I think if you are using the raised beds for veggies you need the peat to give the soil a bit of help. Every non based peat compost I've used seems to dry out really quickly and the nutriants seem to go with them. Mel's mix (Square Foot Gardening recommends a lot more peat than I would have used) the ideal is that after it rains you shouldnt be left with puddles but the ground should hold the water. He uses vermiculite to open up the soil also - its trying various things to see if they help but I do agree with you - my crops do better with peat, but use it only where needed and top up with home made compost, and also worm compost (to help the bacteria which keeps the soil fresh). Good luck with the veggies.

I don't see a need for peat composts in the garden - if making a raised bed the council compost and rotted manure and your own garden compost would be just as good. Peat has no goodness or fertility in it - it just has a good structure - which is why it is so useful for us growing plants in pots and seedtrays - if we can cut down on pot-grown plants by having a seedbed outdoors, using cloches etc and not having so many baskets etc (unless peat-reduced!) we could cut down our peat use. The other use for it is too 'acidify' the ground by adding it to enable us to grow ericacious plants when our soil is not ideal - azaleas etc (i too am guilty of this!) but we could just grow plants that suit our soil - and appreciate the others when we visit friends gardens! I still use a 50:50 mix of peat compost and loam for any pot plants - i don't see it as environmentally better to use coir etc - it is just nicking a resource from a poorer country for our hobbies! Peat is very good as a base for composts etc - but we can and should try and limit our use of it - so no more azaleas for me then!!!!

tks for your comments, I feel we have had a good discussion on this subject, with much to think about