Proud to be Peat-free: What is Peat and why you need to avoid it.
As an expert horticulturalist, I know a lot about peat but I appreciate that if you are new here you might not be so sure about what peat is and why I make a song and dance about being peat free. I am so passionate about this, that I am in fact, the only commercial peat free house plant grower in the UK. Firstly as you are new, welcome. I am Harriet and I own and grow everything for Harriet’s Plants.
Now, what is peat? Peat is a wet, dark, earthy substance that plants love and it is made up of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. If you are interested, the National Trust owns 40 sites in the UK and you can visit and learn more, when lockdown allows.
Without getting too technical, there are different types of peat depending on the acidity of the soil and the area it is grown. At the heart of it, peat is wonderful. It is of great importance to our planet. It’s an incredibly important natural ally in the fight against climate change, it is a rich haven for wildlife, it improves water quality and it helps reduce flood risk. So if peat is so great why do I go out of my way to not use it in my business?
Peat free compost used throughout the glasshouse and available to purchase on the botanical wares section of the website
(seed and cutting compost coming soon)
For centuries peat has been used in gardening as fertile soil and as a result peatlands across the world are disappearing fast. Alongside the loss of habitats, the harvesting of peat is unsustainable and unrenewable. Many gardeners use peat now out of habit. It has worked for them in the past so they stick to what works. Peat is naturally sterile so it is a reliable soil to grow in. Although peat is undisputedly great for plants it has often been used in gardening as it is historically the cheaper option. It is only in recent years that we are beginning to understand the true price we paid. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs recognised the damaging effect of peat harvesting and planned to eliminate the use of peat by 2020.
One of the reasons why the department wanted to eliminate the use of peat was the loss of habitat. Many eco-systems, plants and animals alike thrive in peat bogs and once the peat has been harvested from the bog, habitats are destroyed. I don’t use peat in my business because I want these plants and animals to thrive in their natural environment. Peat bogs are so incredibly important for our eco system that it simply does not make sense to me to continue to cause unnecessary damage when wonderful, affordable alternatives are readily available.
Another critical reason why we should stop using peat is that peat is a huge carbon storage system. Peat holds more carbon than the forests of Britain, France and Germany combined. THAT’S A LOT OF CARBON. It takes thousands of years to create an established peat bog. It grows at a rate of 1mm a year so one harvest takes a significant amount of time to re-grow. Harvesting peat is a wholly unsustainable practice, where by extractors take far more peat than the peat bog produces annually. The National Trust calculated that in one year the peat dug up for use in garden compost in Britain alone releases almost half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide – this is equivalent to 100,000 cars on the road. Quite frankly, these figures frighten me.
Alarmingly the carbon that is stored in the peat can be released into the atmosphere if the peat dries up. Peat is crucial for water management as peat holds up to 20 times its own weight in water. To perform these critical functions, peat must be wet. Unfortunately, through harvesting the peat bogs for centuries, peat and its vegetation have been cultivated, drained and degraded. As a carbon store, dry peat is now one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases as it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Preserving the wet peatlands is now an urgent and crucial step against the damaging effects of climate change. This means us moving over to peat free grown plants and this is where I come in.
Peat free plants make me happy
We are fortunate to live in a time when there are many affordable alternatives to age old materials available. Harriet’s Plants use Melcourt SylvaGrow® Peat-Free planter for organic growing which contains a unique blend of fine bark (a by-product of sustainably managed British forests), coir (from a single, known source), green compost (a carefully-sourced, certified ingredient) It is a fantastic alternative to peat and my plants love it. If you need to repot your plant at home I sell small 12L bags that I can courier to you or if you are local to Lichfield I stock 50L bags for all your gardening needs for you to collect straight from the glass house. Seed and cutting compost will be available to purchase very soon, along with peat free carnivorous compost that is again, UK made.
I am so thrilled that house plants are now enjoying a resurgence in popular culture but I do worry about the impact this will have on the planet. As you can imagine, I am a passionate sustainable grower and I want people to enjoy plants in the most sustainable way possible. They are great for boosting your own eco system in your home but not so great for the planet if not sourced and grown mindfully. I can assure you that when you buy from Harriet’s Plants you are buying a plant that has been nurtured by me, by hand. I am committed to being a peat free grower and I sincerely hope other growers follow suit. I am against the use of pesticides and I grow as much as I can from seed in the greenhouse to minimize carbon emissions from international transportation. The climate fight is real and it is scary but nature is incredible and if we leave it alone and let it do its magic, peat can help reverse some of the damage that has already been done. We can all do our part to reduce our impact on the planet and choosing to be peat free is a good place to start.
Lets start a new hashtag. #peatfreepeople when tagging @harriets.plants on Instagram and lets make the peat free movement a topic of conversation.
Thank you so so much for taking the time out of your day to read this blog post. Please like/share/comment below and talk about this topic to anyone and everyone that will listen. <3
Love always
Harriet xx
