For Peat's Sake

Peat bogs are a key habitat and carbon store which is being irreversibly destroyed. Peat is stripped from bogs, packaged into plastic sacks and used for compost in our gardens and pot plants. Peat-free compost exists and doesn’t damage fragile and rare peat bog ecosystems. Our mission is to make peat-free compost easily available in your local shops so that gardening at home can be more sustainable. We aim to do this in two main ways: 1. Challenge and invite stores to go peat-free  We need to encourage every store which stocks plants and compost to become a peat-free organisation. This includes garden centres, supermarkets, DIY stores and independent stores. We've drafted social media posts and letters that you can send to your local stockist.  2. Celebrate peat-free stores  We're building an interactive map of peat-free stores , where you can find stockists of peat-free plants and composts. This Google Map can be embedded into your own website or blog. He

Why should I stop using compost containing peat? Globally, peatlands are the  largest natural terrestrial carbon store . We are rapidly destroying these precious carbon stores for horticulture, fuel and land conversion and the peat market is expected to  continue to grow . In the UK, amateur gardeners use an estimated 3 billion litres of peat  each year! It can take a whole year for peat bogs to build up by 1 millimetre , which means that it cannot replenish itself once it's been harvested. Over  94% of the UK’s lowland  peat bogs have been destroyed or damaged and we now import most of our peat from other countries. How do I know if a compost contains peat?  Check the labelling on the bag of soil carefully. Often compost can be called 'peat reduced' and still contain a high proportion of peat. The label should clearly say 'peat-free'. When I buy plants, does the soil they come with contain peat?  Most plants are grown using peat compost. However, a few