Peat?

[ginger ninger]

I can't find an option for "Home made compost". I would like to think that the Peat bogs would be here for years to come, so everyone can enjoy them. But if a big carrot is worth destroying the habitat of a wide variety of wildlife, well what's the world coming to?
Found this link about "Damage to peat bogs driving climate change".

Damage to peat bogs driving climate change - Telegraph

Also this one.

Call for levy to protect Ireland's peat bogs

[arpoet]

I have tried peat free, but find it too rough and lumpy and containing too much woody bits for seed growing (i start all but beets, snips and carrots off inside) and soon dries into hard lumps. But dont waste the peat once the seeds are growing for it all gets sterilized and some of my own made fertalizer added and used for greenhose toms and tatties, then the following year i re sterilize it and use its for starting off onion sets and it then gets planted in the lottiie.
Recycling i think its called.
If all the producers of peat free mpc would get some sort of standard to give us a better quality and more consistant product at a competive price then i am sure it would sell, but from my experiance i wont pay a premium for nowt but c&@p.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I find it astounding that gardeners can say they aren't trying to save the planet...without the planet, you wouldn't have a show to exhibit at! How arrogant to suggest that prize winning produce is more important than our planets ecosystems.

I grow veg to eat, and I also compete (very successfully thank you) - but I won't do it at the expense of our natural habitat.

Peat free alternatives are readily available, they can vary in quality, but heck, whats wrong with using a sieve?

My used compost ends up in my compost bins or added to my raised beds - nothing goes to waste, and nor should it.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I love the idea of saving the planet.

Can someone please tell me to do it do I have to become a superhero or can a mere insignificant human help.

What most people really mean when they say 'save the planet' is nothing to do with the planet it is all to do with the human race.

The planet has been here billions of years and will be billions of years more with or without a human race and that the palnet will decide not the human race.

And no I do not believe that globaaaaaaaaaal warming is all the fault of us humans it is just the planet doing its thing as it as many times before and will continue to do until the sun dies.

Colin

[binley100]

ermmmmmm.........are we drifting away from the peat bogs a little here

[Alison]

ermmmmmm.........are we drifting away from the peat bogs a little here

Indeed we are but there do appear to be a few people getting very defensive about the choice they have made! Whether they believe in climate change being brought on by human intervention is pretty irrelevant really as it just makes sense to try not to use unsustainable materials as much as possible. The excuse that you may need to be more organised with your watering is justification for ignoring that basic fact seems rather weak to me but there you go

[King Carrot]

When everybody has to use peat free you are back on a level playing field .OK the results wont possibly be as good but it will be the same for everybody

If peat is that superior for competitive growers I can see a future where competition growers make their own with turf or peat bought on the "grey market". In my experience of serious competition growers they will often go to extreme measures to grow the biggest and the best

Sorry everyone but I agree with AP. I have tried peat free several times but find it no subsitute for peat based compost.

And again I agree with the statment about hype. As with many other subjects globaaaaall warming etc the effect of responsibly havested peat bogs is well over stated

Colin

Can such a thing really exist?

Where I live I'm surrounded by peat bogs in the hills, it is easy to see where for generations the peat has been harvested, my parents generation and beyond harvested peat or turf for burning. There is no sign of any new peat being laid down where it has been extracted - in fact little or nothing seems to have a niche to grow where the peat was - to me it would seem a whole area cleared of peat would surely support little or no plant or animal life at all – any such area would be a wasteland and good for nothing for perhaps thousands of years at least.



Without going into my finances (alright, I'm pretty skint at the mo and this is rip off Ireland ) the basic decision for me comes down to price, there is little or no competition for the sellers of multipurpose compost in my area, I’d have to travel 30 miles to the nearest town and even there prices seem to be similar to home for multi purpose compost. I actually priced up peat free (€7.99) the other day with a view to buying some, it turns out it is around two and a half times the price of the peat based compost (€3.33). I don’t know if this is the normal price comparison between the two (I’d be interested to know) but it’s just a total rip off. If it was slightly more I would buy it, the quality wouldn’t be a problem as I usually add a bit of slow release fertilizer to the rubbish I buy if the plant will be in it for a while. I suppose the only reason I buy it is because it’s sterile for starting seeds off in, I’ll take a look a this angle and see if I can find a feasible way for me to sterilize garden soil in the future.

[SarzWix]

I use this whenever I can get hold of it: West Riding Organics | Moorland Gold Seems like a reasonable compromise.

[Potstubsdustbins]

King Carrot,

I have to agree with some of your comments.

Irelands small peat reserves are being depleted at an alarming rate and non are regenerating.
However when you fire your power stations with peat and make peat briquettes and use peat in feminine hygiene products (RHS) is it fair to blame it all on the gardener.

You may be glad to hear that mechanical peat extraction will cease in Ireland in the not to distant future as your state owned extration company turns to other things.

Canada one of the world main source's of peat is entirely different annual harvest 1.3 million tonnes annual accumalation 70 million tonnes.

The world energy council's report dated 2007 stated peat extraction and peat accumalation are in balance.

All depends which ex-spurt you believe I suppose.

Colin

[guyforks]

we grow our own to reduce our carbon footprint so should not use peat due to the enviromental costs of peat cutting.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Alison,

Not defensive just using a little gentle irony to make a point.

Colin

[guyforks]

I can't find an option for "Home made compost". I would like to think that the Peat bogs would be here for years to come, so everyone can enjoy them. But if a big carrot is worth destroying the habitat of a wide variety of wildlife, well what's the world coming to?
Found this link about "Damage to peat bogs driving climate change".

Damage to peat bogs driving climate change - Telegraph

Also this one.

Call for levy to protect Ireland's peat bogs

agree with you on homemade compost took on dilapitated garden over 12 months ago,first thing was lots of homemade compost bins.then i got all my friends and relatives to save garden/kitchen waste,i now have piles of compost which would cost a fortune for free.

[ginger ninger]

agree with you on homemade compost took on dilapitated garden over 12 months ago,first thing was lots of homemade compost bins.then i got all my friends and relatives to save garden/kitchen waste,i now have piles of compost which would cost a fortune for free.

It's good stuff and at least ya know what goes into it. And as you say...it's free.

[radioactive]

I love the idea of saving the planet.

Can someone please tell me to do it do I have to become a superhero or can a mere insignificant human help.

What most people really mean when they say 'save the planet' is nothing to do with the planet it is all to do with the human race.

The planet has been here billions of years and will be billions of years more with or without a human race and that the palnet will decide not the human race.

And no I do not believe that globaaaaaaaaaal warming is all the fault of us humans it is just the planet doing its thing as it as many times before and will continue to do until the sun dies.

Colin

I LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT
fantastic reply incredibly close to the one I was composing in my head whilst catching up on all the replies
YES this is such a provocative subject that we have to go as far in our replies so much so that it opens up a very large can of worms and not the sort we have chewing compostables !

This subject could just run and run and run, Peat is made from a natures way of composting or we can also say that its made of Stardust the same as we are made of it And gold is and every Element in the known universe is also
I think we need to allow an agree to disagree on this one because there's no right or wrong on many aspects

[radioactive]

Indeed we are but there do appear to be a few people getting very defensive about the choice they have made! Whether they believe in climate change being brought on by human intervention is pretty irrelevant really as it just makes sense to try not to use unsustainable materials as much as possible. The excuse that you may need to be more organised with your watering is justification for ignoring that basic fact seems rather weak to me but there you go

Do we also think long and hard about jumping at the chance of going abroad on one of the many gas guzzling Airliners I wonder?