In his weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, gardener Jamie Marsh tells us why we should go peat-free…
Over the last few years people have been saying it’s not like it used to be, we used to have a definite start and finish to the seasons and I agreed with them up until now.
The reason – autumn has hit us with a bang. This week we’ve had wind, rain, hail, sunshine and a bit more rain.
Jamie uses pallet compost bins on his allotment
I’ve had a few emails asking me about compost, more specifically peat-free compost, so I thought we could have a chat about that this week. Peat isn’t something new; it’s been part of people’s lives for centuries.
In Scotland, Ireland and the north of England, families used to cut blocks of it from the bogs, leave it to dry, and burn it on the fire for heating and cooking. If you’ve ever been to Ireland, you might have seen peat briquettes stacked by the hearth.
They burn with a slow, steady heat and a very distinctive smell. For generations that was just normal. It was only later that peat found its way into our compost bags. From the 1960s onwards, multi-purpose compost became popular and peat was the main ingredient. It was cheap, light, easy to bag up and store, and plants grew really well in it.
Before then most gardeners made their own composts from loam, leaf mould and manure, but peat was so convenient it quickly became the standard.
The trouble is, peat bogs are not just lumps of soil waiting to be dug up. They are incredible, building for thousands of years as mosses and plants slowly break down without much air. That slow process locks away a huge amount of carbon.
Peatlands cover only a tiny slice of the Earth’s surface, yet they store more carbon than all the world’s forests put together. When we dig it up for burning or bag it for compost, all that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere.
Bogs act like giant sponges, soaking up rain and releasing it slowly, which helps reduce flooding. They are home to many special plants, insects and birds.
Once a bog is drained and cut, that’s all lost, and it takes thousands of years to build back. That’s why there’s now such a big push to move away from peat. The Government has set dates to ban the sale of peat for gardeners, and big projects are underway to restore damaged bogs.
I think as gardeners we’ve got a role to play in that too. By choosing peat-free we’re sending a clear message that we value these wild places and want to protect them.
Peat-free composts haven’t always been consistent. One bag might be lovely and fine, and the next could be full of woody bits. A big part of that is because much of it comes from council green waste schemes.
All those grass cuttings, hedge trimmings and even the odd bit of stick from our brown bins get shredded down and turned into compost. It’s a brilliant way of recycling, but it does mean the quality can vary.
Things are improving though. These days there are plenty of good quality mixes on the market made from composted bark, coir, wood fibre, green waste and even digestates from the anaerobic digestion process.
They all behave a little differently, so it’s worth getting to know how each works with watering and feeding, but once you’ve got the hang of it they perform just as well as peat.
The other option is to make your own. On my allotment I use pallet compost bins and I honestly think they’re one of the easiest DIY jobs you can do in the garden. Old pallets are often free and, with just four of them fixed together, you’ve got a sturdy compost bin.
You can leave gaps between the slats for air and, if you want to be fancy, you can hinge one side so it swings open like a door, but even the simplest set-up will do the job.
Ideally, you want at least two bins. One is for filling and the second is to turn it into once the first is full. Three bins is even better because then you can always have one active, one maturing and one ready to use.
The trick is knowing what can and can’t go in. You want a good balance of carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens). Browns are things like dry leaves, straw, cardboard and shredded paper. Greens are grass clippings, veg peelings and fresh plant material. A rough guide is about 70% carbon to 30% nitrogen.
If you pile in too many greens you’ll end up with a slimy heap, so try to spread them out in thin layers and top up with browns in between. Sometimes that means holding back the grass cuttings until you’ve got more cardboard or straw to add, otherwise the mix gets unbalanced. Cutting things up small also helps them break down quicker.
Another thing worth knowing is that some green waste composts made by councils can carry traces of herbicide. If someone has sprayed their lawn with weed killer, those chemicals don’t always break down quickly in the composting process. That’s one of the reasons I prefer to make my own – I know exactly what’s gone in and I can be confident it’s free from any chemicals.
The same goes for manure. Horse manure is a great addition to the compost heap and it really helps to heat things up and get them rotting down, but it’s worth knowing where it’s come from. If the grazing paddocks have been sprayed for weeds, the herbicide can pass through the horse and end up in the muck.
That means it could still be active when you use it in your compost or on your veg beds, with the risk of damaging your plants. Always ask the source if you can, or stick to trusted local supplies.
Moisture is important too. You don’t want it bone dry, but you don’t want it soaking either. The classic advice is it should feel like a wrung-out sponge. As for turning the heap, some gardeners love to fork it over every few weeks, but I only turn mine once.
That’s the advice I picked up from my composting guru and it’s worked well for me. It saves time and still gives me rich, dark compost. And here’s a practical tip – don’t put your compost bins too far from the garden. If you have to trek across the plot every time you’ve got a bucket of peelings, it soon becomes a chore.
Keep them close to hand and you’ll use them more often and, before long, you’ll have a steady supply of your own home-made compost. One last word on what not to compost. Cooked food, meat and dairy will attract rats, so keep those out of the bins.
Glossy magazines and heavily printed paper aren’t a good idea either, as the inks don’t break down well. Stick to plain cardboard, garden waste and kitchen peelings.
Switching to peat-free might feel like a small step, but when thousands of gardeners all make the same choice it adds up to something much bigger. It means more bogs left in the ground, more carbon stored safely away, more wildlife protected and less damage done for the sake of a quick grow bag.
So next time you’re in the garden centre, have a look for that peat-free label. It’s a simple swap, but it’s one that really makes a difference. And in the long run, it’s better for the planet, for our gardens, and for future generations of gardeners to come.
If you’ve got and compost or gardening questions email me on Jamieslittkeallotment@gmail.com
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