Call for a ban on peat in garden compost

From the garden organic web site:
"Garden Organic has signed a letter to the government calling for a complete ban on peat in garden compost in the next five years. We joined Monty Don, as well as organisations such as The National Trust, Friends of the Earth and The RHS, in writing to George Eustace after new figures show the government has missed its target on banning peat for gardeners by 2020."

I see this could be a problem for people who garden on a budget as the quality of cheap peat free compost is quite variable.

I personally have stopped using compost with peat in it, probably the last 5 years. The 2 best peat-free composts I've found are Melcourts range of Sylvagrow and Dalefoots range of products. Neither is cheap.
I've found the quality of home made compost just from letting weeds rot for 12 months can be really good - except for the amount of weed seeds mine has. If I was  lot more careful this would probably be best as it comes without any plastic packaging as well.

I did notice a couple of comments recently about compost with peat in another thread which tempted me to post this.

I doubt it will be very high on Mr Eustace's list of things to do but should we gardeners be making it that firms stop using peat as nobody buys it any more?

I thought this was on the cards anyway. They seem to have been talking about banning peat for years.

The quality of cheap, easily available peat-free compost is pretty dire. They're going to have to up their game to convince people to make the switch.

Judging by the backlash Monty Don received from the horticulture industry for his recent comments on peat, I don't see it disappearing any time soon. The main issues with peat free are the price, availability and quality. Unfortunately peat free has a bad reputation from when it was mostly low quality green waste compost, like when New Horizon used to be full of of uncomposted wood. In my opinion the updated New Horizon formula is much better and seems similar in composition to Melcourt (coir, wood fibre, composted bark) but I've seen on social media a lot of people are still unhappy with it. Most gardeners will be used to very fine, fluffy peat based composts and they may need to be shown that you can get excellent results with peat free.

I don't have a problem with using green waste compost as long as it is fully composted and quality tested. Aldi's peat free in 2018 was thick, sludgy and contained bits of plastic which I imagine deterred a lot of people (including me) from buying it again. Melcourt I would like to try but have never seen it in a shop and Dalefoot is way too expensive. Home made compost can be fantastic stuff but it takes time, effort and a lot of people won't have the space or raw materials to make enough.

We've been (mostly) peat free for years. We use as much home made compost as possible and make up the deficit with New Horizon, which is usually the only peat free brand available in our local garden centres. The only peat I've used recently was in the planting holes for some blueberry bushes, I don't intend on ever buying any more. Having read how some blueberry farms in the US grow quite successfully in pine bark, I'm going to try making some ericaceous compost out of composted bark and bark chips for a blueberry which needs repotting.

Here's a list of peat free nurseries and composts - https://dogwooddays.net/2020/04/30/updat...ries-list/

As both Veggie and TMTT has said the quality of reasonable priced peat free compost is very poor, therefore a lot of gardeners will continue to purchase peat based compost simply because they have found it to be of better quality, I have visited a number of different GCs over the years and have never came across the composts that you have named, though possibly Dalefoot will be similar to one I have seen which manufactured in the Lake District using I think bracken and wool but no way would I purchase that as the price is redicules, I use a lot of peat free for baskets and tubs but for seed sowing I still use compost containing peat as i have no intention of wasting both time and money trying some of the peat free selection

As both Veggie and TMTT has said the quality of reasonable priced peat free compost is very poor, ...

TMTT didn't say that, what he did say was "In my opinion the updated New Horizon formula is much better and seems similar in composition to Melcourt..." He did say other people were still complaining but that could be because of prejudice after their first contact with the stuff.
If peat was banned, then, if the quality was still dire, may be buyers would protest and get something done as they would not have an alternative product.

I came across Melcourt SylvGrow brand at Bluebell cottages not far from here where Sue Beesley has a plant nursery. She grows all her plants and seedlings peat free. The only problem with it is that you have to be careful watering as the surface dries but it can stay quite damp lower down. If she can run her business using no peat, then maybe we should make the effort also? There are more and more people understanding we have only one planet and it is round, not flat so resources are finite..

https://www.bluebellcottage.co.uk/nursery/

Moorland Gold compost contains peat, reclaimed by filtration from reservoirs. Don't know how much it is but for anyone determined to use peat, its an alternative.

The main issues with peat free are the price, availability and quality (TMTT)
Who says the planet is round
Just to let you know, there was a time when you made up your own compost, there were no nurseries or GCs where you could buy ready made compost, you bought any additives at the local ironmongers, put a tinsheet over a fire and spread your soil on it to sterilise it, mixed that with leaf mould and burn sand, the only difference I do now is buy course sand for it, but as I said, I still use peat based compost for expensive seeds

As I live on the Bog I have a ready supply of peat when needed. I have rotovated some through my soil to help keep it from clumping when growing potatoes. Any of the bags of compost I have purchased from GC’s or B&Q all have peat content.

Can, I have difficulty imagining what its like to live on the Bog, surrounded by peat. I know we've seen photos but I can't relate to it at all. Our soil is so different wherever we live.

As I’m now the proud owner of a peat bog, and the need to dig a large amount of it out to build a house. My garden is going to be awesome     . 

Luckily the peat depth was within limits. If it had been much deeper, we wouldn’t of been granted planning permission.