SEVERAL environmental groups lobbied the government in the 1990s in a bid to reduce the use of peat in horticulture and gardening as the scarce resource of peat bogs on the UK mainland was under threat.

As a result, the Government set out a plan for peat reduction – a target was set for a 40 per cent reduction by 2005 and 90 per cent by 2010. According to industry suppliers, the first target was embraced by producers and indeed achieved, but they all said that it would be difficult to achieve a 90 per cent reduction in the timeframe and whilst these aims were laudable it could compromise performance.

The objective is now to phase out the use of peat in the amateur market by 2020 and the professional market by 2030. At the nursery we currently get the bulk of our compost from Westland Horticulture who have wholeheartedly embraced the Government initiative and now do not source any peat from the UK mainland. It goes without saying however that the public demand for peat-based products is what continues to drive the problem. Apparently, over 60 per cent of current peat consumption is by amateur gardeners and has grown with the popularity of patio gardening, tubs, containers and grow-bags.

It must be up to garden centres around the country, therefore, to educate their customers to the benefits of peat-free and peat-reduced growing media. The term compost can be confusing as there are so many types available, but nowadays most bagged compost is clearly labelled with its intended use and content.

There is no doubt that the specific composts are excellent and have been developed to fulfil a particular role (seed sowing, young plants, potting on etc) but if you are looking for a more general product which will cover more tasks, then most of the multi-purpose composts are now pretty good. It goes without saying that the plants you grow will only reflect the condition of the soil they are grown in, so regular feeding, weeding and watering are the key!