Green Gardening: The Benefits of Peat-Free Compost

The UK is beginning to accept a move towards composting without the use of peat. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed they will be banning sales of bagged peat composts by the end of 2024 and finding the best peat free compost in the UK is important for all us gardeners who want to enjoy the benefits of composting in our gardens without the environmental impact.

Why should we use less peat-based compost?

Peat is the name for partially decomposed remains of ancient plants and animals found in the bogs, fens, and marshes around the world. It takes thousands of years to form and does work well for gardens, but the environmental impact is huge. Peatlands are the world’s largest soil carbon store so every time we dig it up, we’re releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere which is contributing significantly to climate change.

Finding a less environmentally damaging solution is essential and the growing range of peat-free organic compost products means it is easy to make the switch.

What is peat-free compost?

Aside from being compost which doesn’t include peat, what are peat-free composts actually made of? They have developed over the years and began as quite a randomised combination of any waste materials from food processing byproducts to manure and tree clippings. The peat-free composts you can buy today use a more effective combination of ingredients to ensure they do a consistent job and can be used effectively as multipurpose compost for indoor and outdoor plants.  

A peat-free multipurpose compost may include a range of materials including composted bark, wood and coconut fibres which give a much more consistent result for gardeners.

The benefits of using peat-free compost

Making the switch to peat-free compost is easy and there are high-quality products on the market that will still help your plants to grow and thrive. Peat-free products are ideal as a soil improver as they can quickly and effectively bulk up the organic content of your soil.

Peat-free compost is also the environmentally friendly choice, something which is important to most gardeners. For a sustainable approach to composting, peat-free products are truly the only option you can go for and it is a way of actively minimising the environmental impact of your garden whilst still helping it to thrive and grow.

Peat-free compost is also highly versatile, ideal for potting up seedlings and general repotting, although you may want to consider sieving peat-free composts when sowing seeds as this will break up large pieces of matter which could impact initial seed growth.

We stock an extensive range of the best peat free compost in the UK, ensuring you can find a product to suit your garden.

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