Celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin demands end of peat compost

The plan would mean gardening centres and DIY stores would stop selling peat-based composts for the amateur gardening market within ten years.

The initiative is part of the Act on CO2 campaign and was launched last night (March 8), with the aim of convincing amateur gardeners. who use around 70% of the country’s peat, to stop.

The campaign focuses on raising awareness of the environmental impacts associated with peat and promoting a switch to peat-free alternatives in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the valuable biodiversity and wildlife of lowland raised bogs.

Launching the Act on CO2 campaign at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which has been peat-free since 1992, Irish celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin, said: “Consumers’ concern about what they can personally do to help protect the environment is at a record high.

“However, people often struggle to find easy ways to make a big difference. Using peat-free products in the home and garden is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways that people can make a positive environmental impact and reduce their carbon footprint.

“For most uses in the garden, peat-free alternatives are just as good as peat-based compost, and they don’t lead to the loss of our valuable peat bogs.

“We hope this campaign will prove to gardeners that you can have blooming good results – not just with traditional growing media but also with environmental friendly peat-free products.”

Luke Walsh