Three ways to grow a climate-friendly garden without peat

Gardeners can avoid peat without sacrificing healthy plants, DR reports, as debate grows over the environmental cost of extracting peat from Danish bogs.

The debate is currently taking place on Djursland, where the company Pindstrup Mosebrug has applied to drain and excavate the remaining part of Fuglsø Mose, a raised bog near Nørager. The company has already excavated most of it.

Neighbours want the project stopped to protect the remaining nature and prevent further carbon dioxide emissions. Nurseries still rely on peat from bogs because it is nutrient-rich and easy to dose, while private gardeners often buy it in bags labelled potting soil, rose soil or tomato soil.

But Lene Svenningsen from Rønde on Djursland has stopped using peat. These are her three suggestions for maintaining a flourishing garden without it.

Use compost

Svenningsen makes her own compost. She says it has many of the same properties as peat because it retains water.

Brian Christensen, a gardening adviser at Haveselskabet, Denmark’s largest association for gardening enthusiasts, says many recycling stations offer free compost. It can be used to make potting soil.

However, compost should not be used on its own. It must be mixed with garden soil, otherwise it can be too strong for plants, Christensen says.

Use Christmas trees and conifer branches

For plants that need acidic soil, such as Svenningsen’s large rhododendron bush, she uses old Christmas trees and conifer branches. She chips them and places the material underneath the plants.

Conifer material helps acidify the soil, Christensen says. Gardeners can use their own Christmas tree, a neighbour’s tree or other suitable material from nearby to create a natural acidic soil.

Buy peat-free soil and plants

The simplest, but most expensive, option is to buy soil without peat, Svenningsen says. Almost all plants can be grown without peat, so gardeners should check the contents of bags of planting soil before buying them.

There are many alternatives, Christensen says. Gardeners who want to put pressure on nurseries should also ask for plants grown without peat.

Most plants sold at garden centres are still grown in peat, making it difficult to avoid completely when buying plants. But stronger demand for peat-free products would put more pressure on producers to change, Christensen says.