Totally disagree @Chris-P-Bacon, we should all be acting as guardians of the planet and helping to prevent global warming and habitat destruction. I speak as someone who has always used peat, but this year I have taken my first gentle steps into peat free. I admit I don't find it easy to use, but I don't think I have any choice but to persist.
It's not that I'm against reducing peat use in the garden or habitat loss - far from it. Perhaps I didn't make that clear. It's the way the message is put across. Especially as there is no acknowledgement by GW, MD et al that there is still environmental impacts of peat free compost production which will only increase as peat extraction is reduced. There was an interesting piece by Ian Hodgson in Garden News a few weeks ago that touched on why peat free compost may not be as enviro friendly as people think.
I agree with you Chris. There is a tendency to emphasise the benefits of stopping using something without any acknowledgement of the downsides of the alternatives. At least they did raise the transportation issues of coir on Beechgrove.
I’d be interested to know if Monty is capable of saying ‘compost’ without putting peat free in front of it. Not that I am denigrating efforts to protect peat bogs and, like almost all responsible gardeners, I am trying to reduce my usage to zero. But there is such a thing as over egging the pudding; toning down the proselytising would be appreciated.
Also, not unrelated, what happened to the drive two years ago to minimise plastic usage? I see no obvious evidence that the good intentions back then have been carried forward.
One thing I do like about this forum, unlike a couple of others I follow, is that there is not too much obsession with bees. Of course they’re important, and of course they should be protected, but the posts I read might have you believe they’re the only insects in the garden. The totality of garden ecosystems is something that bypasses many folk. Ask forum members to identify a weed and you’ll be rapidly scolded because it’s not a weed, it’s a wild flower and removing it threatens bees. Give me strength!
Afraid I fell asleep again so will have to catch up later. I did see the old man with the mess and decided it was a step too far for me. Looks a lot like the bits of our plot - ex pasture and gravelled farmyard - we haven't tackled yet and just strim where we want to access paths.
I haven't seen any fuss about peat here but this the first year I haven't seen huge bags of pure peat in the garden shops but then I don't look for it either. Most composts here seem to be recycled green waste and not sterilised, even for seeds and cuttings given the number of weeds mine grows. No indication of peat content either way. I shall ask about it next time we have a garden group event.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
To me it doesn't seem to matter what growing medium you buy, they are not of the quality of a couple of years ago. GC bought branded is either woody or powdery, doesn't seem to matter what brand, and peat free is beyond my budget. Did try peat free once, in a small section of plants, they didn't do well. If to use any brand of compost means it needs to be mixed with garden compost (which Monti does copiously ) or manure/chicken pellets means to me it is not of good enough quality to sustain plants for their initial six weeks, as I have a small garden I have no room to make my own so must rely on bought compost to do its job.
I often feel perplexed. The information we get on environmental issues is always incomplete and it is impossible to judge the true impact of our decisions. You substitute one product for another and find it causes another type of harm. I find myself disbelieving much of what I hear, but I don't have the means to discover the truth.
I found the piece by the rhododendron guy very interesting. It's great to find someone with the patience and staying power to hybridise his rhodies and wait 15 years for them to flower... but I'd have loved more information on the pH of his soil, though, both before adding regular mulches of rhododendron leaves and after. For most of us, collecting enough rhodie foliage to make thick mulches to keep our rhododendrons happy, is not an option. I suppose if you lived in an area where R.ponticum was being removed you'd be able to collect quite a lot... but on the other hand, if you lived in such an area the soil would be acid anyway, so you wouldn't need the mulch.
This is a limestone area and the drystone wall up the side of our garden is built of it. However, we do have pockets of slightly acid soil, as well as a bit that's neutral and a lot that's alkaline. It's a bit confusing...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Just on the "Monty always mentions peat free" Adam Frost does just the same. And on the plastic Monty does say to keep using what plastic pots you have and extend their life by storing out of sunlight and taking care of them (he unlike me wash's pots and I'm sure he puts them all away immediately). Anyway I'm no fanatic on either subject though I do leave plant pots behind at GC's now as I have something like 2000 pots. Bought 2 Rhubarb today and the till lady was not happy at me putting the plants in bags and leaving the pots behind. I didn't realise my compost contained peat or that it was so difficult to get peat free. Am going to build a rotating compost screen to help make my own potting compost mixing it with bought peat free next year.
Still love the show though do wish there was some home videos just showing some beautiful gardens, a before and after film would be great.
Our local nursery sells peat free compost which it claims is the same stuff they use in the nursery. I'd love to know where in the nursery they use it as the content of the bags I bought bore no resemblance to that in any of the pots I saw there. The rubbish I bought was so light it would literally blow out of the pots when it dried. It barely held any moisture.
Posts
I agree with you Chris. There is a tendency to emphasise the benefits of stopping using something without any acknowledgement of the downsides of the alternatives. At least they did raise the transportation issues of coir on Beechgrove.
Also, not unrelated, what happened to the drive two years ago to minimise plastic usage? I see no obvious evidence that the good intentions back then have been carried forward.
One thing I do like about this forum, unlike a couple of others I follow, is that there is not too much obsession with bees. Of course they’re important, and of course they should be protected, but the posts I read might have you believe they’re the only insects in the garden. The totality of garden ecosystems is something that bypasses many folk. Ask forum members to identify a weed and you’ll be rapidly scolded because it’s not a weed, it’s a wild flower and removing it threatens bees. Give me strength!
I haven't seen any fuss about peat here but this the first year I haven't seen huge bags of pure peat in the garden shops but then I don't look for it either. Most composts here seem to be recycled green waste and not sterilised, even for seeds and cuttings given the number of weeds mine grows. No indication of peat content either way. I shall ask about it next time we have a garden group event.
Did try peat free once, in a small section of plants, they didn't do well. If to use any brand of compost means it needs to be mixed with garden compost (which Monti does copiously ) or manure/chicken pellets means to me it is not of good enough quality to sustain plants for their initial six weeks, as I have a small garden I have no room to make my own so must rely on bought compost to do its job.
Premium price for a terrible product.
This is a limestone area and the drystone wall up the side of our garden is built of it. However, we do have pockets of slightly acid soil, as well as a bit that's neutral and a lot that's alkaline. It's a bit confusing...
Still love the show though do wish there was some home videos just showing some beautiful gardens, a before and after film would be great.