Digging deeper

Putting the spotlight on the biggest issues in gardening today

- SALLY NEX

Majority of plants sold to be peat-free by 2027

Almost every plant you buy will be peat-free within four years, the UK Government has promised, as it announced it's making most growers ditch peat by the end of 2026-years earlier than previous deadlines.

A ban on peat in bagged compost for amateur gardeners is set to take effect next year. Now professional growers are to be included, too, with an extra three years to allow plants currently growing in peat-based compost to work through the supply chain. Tiny plug plants and some with specialist needs will be exempt from the ban until 2030, and there are likely to be further ongoing exceptions for some plants deemed to be at risk by conservationists.

The news has been greeted with apprehension by some growers. Debs Ednie, who runs specialist plant nursery Ivy Hatch Plant Supplies in Kent, lost thousands of pounds' worth of stock after potting up seedlings into a bad batch of peat-free compost. The manufacturer paid her compensation, but she says committing fully to peat-free is worrying. She's now trialling new peat-free brands each year - but still hasn't found one she fully trusts. "When you're growing on the scale we are you hit problems a lot more frequently than if you're growing for an allotment or garden," she says. She believes some smaller nurseries, already struggling with rising energy and materials costs, may decide it's not worth the trouble. "The older guard will be retiring - they don't need the hassle," she says.