By the end of 2024, peat-based compost won’t be sold to the public in the UK anymore, thanks to new regulations. While this is brilliant for peat bogs and reduces all the associated CO2 emissions that the peat harvesting used to cause, it means everyone is trying out new brands of peat-free compost.
Succeeding or failing randomly at growing from seed or potting young plants or filling containers depending on which brand of compost you choose is not most gardeners’ idea of fun. Professional gardeners and growers though can still buy the peat-based stuff, apparently until 2030, so if you go and ask a professional grower what compost they would recommend now, they’ll say “peat-based”.
We can complain at the garden centre, browse the gardening magazines in the newsagents for tips and consider getting a worm bin to turn household food waste into compost. It’s also good to know though that peat bogs and the natural world have been spared.
This has been covered before here: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the garden centre…
