News from the farm: Peat – its use and abuse

The alternatives to peat are not silver bullets, but with new legislation, the race for alternatives is picking up pace.

The evenings are already lengthening, and snow drops and crocuses are out – but the soil is cold, and we must wait a few more weeks before starting to plough and prepare for early spring plantings. Most of our winter crops are faring a little better than average, with no obvious gluts or shortages as we pass midway.

Most cropping is now planned up to May 2026, with prices and volumes agreed with our growers. One of the major challenges emerging for all growers is the impending ban on the use of peat as a growing medium for seedlings. There is an outright ban on the use of all peat in commercial and domestic horticulture planned to start in 2030, though it is questionable if this will be implemented. As things stand, it will be banned in organic growing this year.

Peat is a huge carbon sink and an important wetland habitat, with both climate scientists and ecologists agreeing that it should be left in the ground. But sadly, when drained, peat can be incredibly fertile and productive. Many of the UK’s vegetables are grown on the drained Fenland peat bogs of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Every year that these areas are ploughed, up to an inch of peat is exposed to the air and broken down, releasing the carbon it holds into the atmosphere.

For two years, we have been running trials using peat-free growing mediums for our seedlings. The trials have shown that it is possible, but more expensive – and critically, the plants’ vigour, ability to compete with weeds, and eventual yield are all significantly reduced. To our surprise, the effects persisted throughout the life of the crop, with tomatoes still showing reduced vigour six months after planting out into the soil.

My guess is that, with continued refinement, the yield gap will be reduced. This is already proving possible in our collaborative project with Coventry Uni and Delfland Nurseries; we have successfully created peat-free blocks to grow lettuce seedlings that show similar yields to those grown in peat. However, these blocks will likely cost more – another factor making organic food more expensive. How do we fairly account for the environmental cost of food (or anything) in the prices we pay?

The alternatives to peat are not silver bullets – so, after the proposed early imposition of the ban on organic growers, the system needs to change to support those using responsible growing mediums. Perhaps the legislation in 2030, if it’s implemented, will put everyone on an equal playing field.

Our News from the Farm posts come from Riverford. They are the digital versions of the printed letters which go out to customers, every week via Riverford’s veg boxes. Guy Singh-Watson’s weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.

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