The peat principle

As gardeners consider if peat-free is the answer, Toby looks at the impact on the peat bogs we are using

- Toby Buckland

TO be or not to be peat-free. That is the question… though it’s not a very good one. With melting ice caps, biblical weather patterns and government pledges to stop the trashing of our planet, the choice is only ‘real’ in Hobson’s ‘take it or leave it’ sense.

I’m sure this isn’t new to you, but what makes peat bogs so precious is their ability to capture and store millions of tons of carbon beneath their swampy surface – and if we are to halt global warming, that’s where it needs to stay.

I’ve heard the argument that bogs repair after harvest, but science has shown that recovery is infinitesimally slow (if at all). And the idea that as plants grow in peat-based multi-purpose they off-set the lost carbon is like needlessly breaking eggs after you’ve made a cake. There are alternatives – including the soil under our feet.