Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust explain why the ban on sales of peat-based compost matters

Having been a mad keen gardener since about the age of 12, I find this time of year both exciting and frustrating in equal measure. — Writes Erin McDaid, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Out in the garden there are clear indications that nature is stirring from its long winter slumber, with bulbs pushing through the soil in search of light and buds forming ready to burst on trees and shrubs. On the flipside, the days are not yet quite long or warm enough for me to crack on with sowing all the plants I want to grow for the year ahead.

As I get older and a little wiser, I have got better at holding off until conditions are more conducive to success, but, in my eagerness I have already sown about ten different varieties of flower and vegetable.

Whilst the precise timing of when I sow my spring seeds my vary, one thing that doesn’t change is the fact that I’ve sown all the seeds in peat free compost — just as I have done successfully for over 20 years.

The fact that many of us have been gardening and growing peat free for decades begs the question as to why we have had to wait so long for a retail ban on bagged composts containing peat.

When the government announced a ban on bagged peat by 2024, last year, it was the culmination of a long fight by the wildlife trusts and others.

The peat-free campaign was one of the first I got involved with way back in the 1990 when I joined Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust straight from university.

It seems extraordinary that it has taken so long, but delay and dilution are so often the order of the day, as vested interests seek to maximise profits and people resist change even in the face of compelling evidence to act.

It is welcome that many retailers have gone peat free ahead of the ban and more will follow this year as the deadline looms, but the ban doesn’t go nearly far enough.

It will apply to approximately two-thirds of peat sold in England, but as leaders in peatland restoration, the wildlife trusts are calling upon the UK government to take action towards a total ban on peat extraction and its use in horticulture.

As we have seen with the heel dragging over retail composts, voluntary measures are not enough to trigger the level of action needed and certainly not at the speed required.

The commercial horticulture sector will still be using huge quantities of peat, meaning that long after we are prevented from buying peat compost ourselves, many of the plants we buy to plant at home in our now peat free compost will have been grown in peat.

As a result, peatlands will continue to be destroyed to support a hobby that should be about connecting with and supporting nature.

Peat is decayed organic matter and vegetation that develops slowly under particular wet, conditions over thousands of years. Peat is found in wetlands like bogs and moors, and supports unique ecosystems.

Peat bogs are home to all sorts of plants, including colourful sphagnum mosses and fascinating and highly evolved insect-eating plants.

The bogs support rare dragonflies, spiders and other invertebrates and are a feeding ground for birds including the golden plover and skylark.

Sadly, more than 94% of the UK’s lowland peat bogs have already been destroyed or damaged, and a wealth of wildlife has disappeared along with them.

This vital habitat isn’t easily replaced and what is left should be protected.

Peatlands are also vital when it comes to climate change — acting like a sponge, absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere. UK peatlands store around 3.2bn tonnes of carbon and alongside the oceans; peatlands are the second largest store of carbon on the planet.

The Wildlife Trusts estimate that peat extraction for horticulture has caused up to 31m tonnes of CO2 to be released since 1990.

We believe that peat belongs in peat bogs not plant pots, seed modules and planters and while gardeners will soon be able to enjoy their hobby knowing that their impact on the environment and climate change had been much reduced, our choices, as consumers are crucial to making further change. You can start by signing our peat free pledge.

As the gardening year gets into full swing, millions of us will be heading to garden centres or ordering plants online and we can all push for quicker change by being vocal and asking suppliers to stock peat-free compost and plug plants now.

To sign our peat free pledge visit wildlifetrusts.org/pledge-peat-free