Why going peat-free is essential for the planet

As a plant-lover and gardener, you can help the environment and protect wetlands whenever you choose peat-free compost. Find out why in this blog post.

As more people find out what peatlands are and how important they are for our natural environment, more gardeners are choosing to buy compost and other products free of peat.

What is peat?

Peat is formed when wetland vegetation partially decomposes in peatlands, more commonly referred to as bogs or fens. These unique landscapes cover around 10% of the UK land area (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021), and they are vital in the fight surrounding climate change.

According to the National Trust, peatlands hold twice as much carbon in the ground as the world’s forests worldwide. They are vital habitats for wildlife, but the extraction of peat for horticultural use and gardening, among other uses, means that the carbon stored in peatlands is released into the environment, which equates to more than 5% of all global carbon emissions, according to the IUCN.

Why use peat-free compost?

The UK government has mandated a ban on peat-based compost sold in garden centres by 2024.

A significant proportion of the peat found in compost in the UK is sourced from elsewhere in Europe, so going peat-free helps protect our own landscapes and benefits important ecosystems throughout the continent. Blanket bogs (a primary source of peat) are rare worldwide, but the UK holds approximately 13% of all worldwide blanket bogs, so we have a responsibility to lead the way.

This is a great step for the industry, but its effectiveness will also depend on the outcome of a further consultation on whether to also ban plants grown in peat abroad e.g., in the Netherlands. The UK imports many plants from the Netherlands and more widely in Europe, and it’s crucial that these are also grown in peat-free compost.

What is peat-free compost?

According to the RHS, peat-free compost is made using a mix of coarse and fine particles. These create a balanced compost that contains enough water and air, which are essential for root growth.

What’s in it?

Peat-free compost is made using a mix of fine and coarse particles, usually composed of:

  • Composted bark
  • Coir (coconut fibre)
  • Woodfibre
  • Green compost (e.g. grass clippings, composted food waste)
  • Added coarse materials such as grit, sharp sand and rock wool

Is peat-free compost better?

Yes, and at Muddy Trowel, we are committed to selling peat-free compost and have done since we launched in 2020. Our range of peat-free compost, includes MiracleGro’s all-purpose, organic and ericaceous (suitable for heathers and other lime-hating plants) ranges.

Peat-free compost is widely available in the UK. Switching to peat-free is one of the single-best ways in gardening to be less damaging to the environment. What are you waiting for? The more of us that make this switch, the more the industry’s big players will pay attention.

Box & Sprout becomes part of Muddy Trowel

Muddy Trowel acquires fellow lockdown gardening startup, Box & Sprout.

We are delighted to welcome the Box & Sprout urban gardening community to Muddy Trowel. Like us, Box & Sprout was founded during the 2020 lockdown and we have admired the work the Box & Sprout co-founders, Rob Ford and Charlie Chappatte achieved during this time. Like ourselves, they united a new generation of amateur gardeners to get into gardening, by delivering high-quality outdoor plants to help them transform their outdoor spaces.

United by common values

Uniting the Box & Sprout community of outdoor potted plant lovers with ours felt like a natural step to take. In doing so, we want to continue to serve and support the Box and Sprout community to bring colour and joy to their gardens, balconies and outdoor spaces.

  • Box & Sprout co-founder, Rob Ford, said: “Deciding to close Box & Sprout has not been an easy decision to make but having met the Muddy Trowel team we are confident that they will continue to nurture and support our customers with their gardening ambitions.”

Urban gardening is on the rise

Increasingly, millennials are getting out into the garden for the first time. However, with many of them leading busy lives, they struggle to find the time to get to grips with understanding what outdoor plants are right for their garden, soil type and other areas outside their home.

This is why we have focused on creating sustainable plant kits that customers can buy for garden pots, window boxes, hanging baskets and garden beds and borders. They are perfect for urban gardens as each kit comes with all the materials you need to put together an amazing floral display in even the smallest of spaces.

Each plant kit contains a garden pot or planter of your choosing (if that’s what you are after), just the right amount of peat-free compost, step by step planting instructions and locally grown perennial plants, which will attract bees and butterflies to your favourite outside spot.

Our curated plant collections are designed to match different styles and tastes, spaces and light conditions. Our shade-lovers range has been a huge success. With every order, we include beautiful plant postcards and tailored monthly plant-care emails to help our customers nurture their collections through the seasons.