Planting with peat free compost

Leading garden experts across the UK are backing moves to encourage gardening without peat following growing research into the detrimental environmental effects of peat extraction. Findings show that extracting peat leads to habitat destruction as well as the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases.

In an RSPB poll of 27 influential gardeners in the UK, 80% of respondents said they used little or no peat in their gardens and agreed with the Government’s aim of phasing out peat products. In addition to conducting the poll and using its results to spread awareness, the RSPB is now calling for the Government to impose a £1 tax on every average-sized bag of peat.

Peat-free Dobbies

Dobbies were recently asked by the Herald Scotland newspaper for the company’s take on the issue. In response, Dobbies sales and marketing manager Phil Douty, said “We encourage consumers to purchase peat-free at point of sale, and have introduced a Dobbies’ own-brand of organic and 100% peat-free multi-purpose compost.”

“On all of our compost signage at point-of-sale we state the following: ‘Using peat-free or peat reduced products can reduce your carbon footprint … Check the peat content before you buy.’”

Informing customers

85% of the gardening experts polled by the RSPB also said that they thought consumers did not know enough about the environmental impact of peat extraction to make an informed decision.

BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Alys Fowler, said: “I think there needs to be more education about the benefits of the non-peat compost – it can be just as effective as peat.

With that in mind, here’s a bit of background.

The peat problem

Peat is produced in areas of organic wetland soils all over the world. These wetland areas are being drained for agriculture, forestry and peat extraction. This not only results in the destruction of many wetland animal habitats but also releases considerable amounts of carbon dioxide.

Millions of years ago the planet’s atmosphere contained far more carbon dioxide than it does today, making it a much hotter place. Since then, plant life (amongst other processes) has taken large amounts of that carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in their respiration, holding onto the carbon and breathing out oxygen. When the plants decomposed they stored some of that carbon in the earth along with their remains. Over millions of years, this process leads to the building up of organic carbon. In the case of peat lands, this organic carbon is also stored under water.

However, as a result of peat drainage, this organic carbon becomes exposed to the atmosphere where it reacts in the air to produce carbon dioxide.

As peat-swamp forests contain vast amounts of carbon stored in the trees and plants above the ground as well as in the composting organic matter in its soils, the clearing of forests to drain peat lands releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane (another greenhouse gas).

Seeing as the removal of carbon dioxide by plant life has helped to cool the earth’s atmosphere, it’s understandable to see how returning it to the atmosphere can lead to it warming up again.

Because of this, gardeners who use peat on their plants are being encouraged to use peat free compost in order to drive down demand for what has become an unsustainable resource that impacts the landscape, animal habitats and climate change.

Visit any of Dobbies garden centres to find a wide range of peat free compost or order an organic multi-purpose compost bulk bag from Dobbies online.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada have been studying the insecticidal properties of some of your favourite herbs (and mine!) including rosemary, thyme, clove and mint.

At Dobbies.com, we’re a big fan of all things natural, but not at the cost of pragmatism or people’s budgets. Natural pesticides are an emerging trend, but we think that the debate is still open on the cost vs benefit as an alternative to modern, or people-made, pesticides.

The UK government has written a piece on modern vs natural pesticides which attempts to add somewhat to the debate. Meanwhile, we’re frequently dumbfounded by companies that refer to their products as “all natural” as if having something natural is somehow better than having something commercially-made. There are so many thousands of elements in nature designed to cause injury by way of defence that the mere claim of “all natural” is enough to leave yours truly cowering in fear inside the wardrobe, lest there be stingy-things in my honeypot.

Speaking of stingy-things, Bees for Development is a UK-based charity that does what it says on the tin. It has found that there are natural pesticides in modern use which may be harmful to the foraging ability of bumblebees.

So while natural pesticides have some exciting discoveries to offer, we’d always offer you a healthy pinch of salt and declare that just because something is “all natural” doesn’t necessarily make it better for you.

With the help of a little Dobbies know-how, transform your garden into a bright and beautiful eco friendly haven and attract wildlife.

Gardens that are naturally grown are eco-friendly and attract all kinds of wildlife

The types of flowers and plants you grow and wildlife you attract can make a huge difference to the environment, not to mention the lushness and charm of your garden.

There are creative ways of achieving an eco friendly garden from using organic pesticides and ethically sourced wood and gravel to creating ponds and planting oxygenating plants.

Wildlife attracting plants

Creating wildlife hubs such as garden ponds, rockeries or wild grass banks are stylish ways of attracting visitors such as frogs, bees, birds and butterflies. Choosing the right plants will help your mini eco system flourish; native plants thrive without too much care and attention and attract an abundance of bugs and creatures.

We’ve listed our favourite native plants and wild flowers and their individual qualities that will help spring life into your garden:

Wild thyme

This is a fragrant native plant perfect for a rockery, herb garden or even it a pot on the window sill. It has pink- purple flowers that attract bees and butterflies and you can also use it for cooking.

Startwort

Startwort will grow deep in your pond. Not only does it provide good protection for pond creatures such as fish but it also has attractive floating leaves and is oxygenating so will help keep your pond healthy and clear.

Bluebells and Snowdrops

These dainty little flowers are a welcome sign of spring and perfect for wild grassy banks or shaded areas; if you’re after a country-side meadow feel to your garden then these little flowers create the look. They leave a sweet floral scent wherever you open the back door and also provide a food source well before other flowers start to show signs of life.

Ivy

Ivy has a timeless charm about it. It grows wildly but you can coach it to climb the back wall in any pattern you choose using supporting wires. Ivy provides protective shelter for birds; which you’ll certainly notice as they chirp away merrily.

Organic care

What you use to care for your garden can have a big impact on its health. Artificial fertilisers and feeds force plants to grow and chemicals can kill the organisms in the soil that healthy plants need. Natural plant feeds and fertilises are made from organic plant extract and so rather than artificially making plants grow, they subsidise the naturally occurring nutrients, amino acids, plant hormones, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients in the soil.

There are also some old tricks and simple ingredients you can use to care for your garden naturally and keep weeds away:

• Vinegar or lemon juice are effective natural weed killers.
• Pour boiling water over your weeds, but make sure you keep the carnage away from healthy plants.
• Seaweed or organic seaweed extract helps your plants grow strong and resistant to disease and pests.
• Varying your planting and what you grow around the garden rather than grouping types together is also a natural way of controlling pests.

Wildlife care and providing shelter and food

What you plant and put in your garden provides food and shelter for all sorts of wildlife and helps bring together the natural order of things. In order to encourage shy creatures though you’ll probably need to give them a little encouragement.

Foxes, badgers, bats, squirrels and birds such as woodpeckers, finches and warblers are a healthy sight and all of them will quite easily be enticed. So, to build a wildlife sanctuary, here are some tips:

• A fresh water supply can be even more effective at attracting birds into your garden than bird feeds so make sure you provide a garden bird bath. A pedestal bird bath also doubles up as a decorative garden feature; drop colourful petals in to help attract birds.

• Place a bird box or nest box high on a tree under leaves and branches; this will encourage breeding birds to nest.

• Create a ‘bird bistro’ with a roofed hanging bird table, made with FSC certified timber.

• Bees, ladybirds, lacewings and butterflies are a welcome and vital part of any organic garden. A single lacewing larva can eat between 1000 and 10,000 aphids in its lifetime so rather than use greenfly repellent, invest in a lacewing chamber or lacewing house; providing a safe dry place for them to spend the winter.

• A hanging box with cavities will provide shelter for bees. Butterfly towers or hibernation towers placed near scented flowers will attract the declining butterfly population.

• Use a bat box to provide a roosting spot for bats in the summer. Place the bat box as high up as possible, preferably on a tree or close to a wooded area away from people (and cats).

• Hedgehogs look for a safe place to hibernate in winter so place a hedgehog house in a quiet sheltered part of your garden. If a female hedgehog chooses to make it her winter home you could have baby hedgehogs in spring who will make a feast of pests such as slugs and snails.

• Make sure all your bird boxes, bat boxes and hedgehog and insect houses are all made from untreated and FSC certified wood. The FSC logo identifies products which contain wood from responsibly managed forests, independently certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council A.C.

FSC Certified Furniture

With global wood consumption predicted to increase 50% by 2050, the type of wooden furniture and wooden garden products you buy can have a big impact on helping to save the world’s forests. Supporting sustainable forestry can ease the pressure on our forests and is another step towards an eco friendly garden and home.

When you buy wooden furniture from Dobbies, you’ll see the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) mark on our products. This means your furniture is:

• Ethically sourced
• Environmentally friendly
• Economically responsible
• Socially responsible

What does FSC certified mean?

The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent organisation which promotes the responsible growth and sustainability of the world’s forests.

If you buy indoor or outdoor wooden furniture with the FSC label, you can be assured that it has been independently tested to make sure it comes from forests that meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Dobbies fully support the Forestry Stewardship Council and the great work they do to help lower our planet’s carbon emissions and improve the health and economies of the developing countries that supply the raw materials.

We have the FSC mark on our wooden furniture products because we believe in providing value for our customers and in creating a sustainable relationship with our suppliers and their families. And all of this leads to a greener planet!

Download this free Easy Guide to Gardening More Organically and learn exactly what does and doesn’t constitute organic gardening.

The definition of gardening organically is growing plants without using manufactured fertilisers or other chemicals for feeding and pest control. However, as this guide explains, there are some organic gardening techniques that are just simply good practice and benefit your plants.

Click here to download The Easy Guide to Gardening More Organically (PDF)