Sadly our best selling compost is this bulk peat based product, hardly surprising it sells so well as it is by far the cheapest per litre.
Many would say that moss peat is wonderful stuff: it’s cheap, sterile, lightweight and pleasant to handle, provided you ignore the environmental cost to bogs.
Given the environmental impact and the fact that peat free products are becoming more available we have started to supply a full range of products (peat free mulches, soil improver’s and growing media) and our aim will be to move towards educating our customers to the benefits of reducing their peat use. This is not just about selling more expensive products but ties in with our promotion of actively encouraging people to compost and make leaf mould.
For any one who is unsure of how to make compost etc on Saturday 16th May between 2.30-3.30pm we are having a free talk and demonstration on ‘The Art of Composting’. This is part of Cork County Councils Composting Awareness month and they have provided three compost bins for our prize draw.
With no disrespect or a blight on the integrity of the average gardener we see, trying to steer them away from the convenience of peat based products is akin to weaning a babe off milk. God bless ’em!
They will all have to look for alternatives next year however as we have to subscribe to an EU directive severely limiting the use of peat in an attempt to conserve the natural beauty of the upland (and lowland) bog. (The bogs lock up huge quantities of CO2) This of course depends on the government enforcing it and the producers seriously doing something about it.
We can all compost, and there’s not a lot that can’t be composted…..old cars and supermarket trolleys are two that spring to mind! but most everything else can be either via a compost bin or heap or a wormery.
So let’s all make the effort and do our bit to conserve the beauty of this island and all other potential sites for peat extraction.
GO PEAT FREE!!!!!!!