Oh for peat's sake!

Amateur gardeners used 54 per cent more peat in 1999 than they did in 1993, and in 1999 some 66 per cent of peat was bought by amateur gardeners, a new survey by Gardening Which? reveals.

So, why aren't we buying peat-free

compost?

The Consumers' Association magazine reports: "The bottom line, as many know to their cost, is that peat-based composts are usually better for raising young plants than peat-free ones." Last year, the Consumers' Association carried out tests on brand-leading composts, some of which included peat and others which didn't.

For raising seedlings, the test species were impatiens (busy lizzies), which only do well in composts with low levels of

dissolved nutrients, and petunias, which are less fussy. Both were successful in all the peat-based composts, but the busy lizzies struggled in the peat-frees and reduced-peats. The petunias also did poorly in most of the peat-free composts.

Gardening Which? concludes: "It seems manufacturers still have some way to go before you'll be able to sow with

confidence in peat-free composts." But what about growing young plants? Test plants were petunia plugs and verbena. Some 25 plants of each species were grown in each compost for seven weeks without feeding and both were successful in all of the peat-based and reduced-peat composts.

Can you do without peat-based

composts to sustain summer bedding? Well, the peat-free brands didn't give as good results as the multi-purpose and peat-based composts, although several did reasonably well. When you are buying compost, make sure you only buy

compost from outlets which are likely to have a fast turnover, to reduce the chances of buying old stock. Also avoid bags with faded or old packaging.

The brands which came out top in the trials are:

Peat-based best buys: B&Q Growing Bag (£1.28 for 35 litres) and Homebase Value Basics Multipurpose (£5.78 for 150 litres) - both gave good results with seeds, young plants and pots of bedding.

Reduced-peat: Great Mills New Improved Formula Multipurpose (£3.49 for 80 litres) - as good as the best

peat-based brands for patio pots and gave reasonable results with young plants.

Peat-free: B&Q Peat-Free Multipurpose (£3.48 for 80 litres) and Great Mills Peat-Free Multipurpose (£3.49 for 80 litres) gave reasonable results with patio pots.

The magazine could not recommend any of the peat-free brands for raising seedlings or growing young plants. Ian Brownhill, head of Gardening Which?, says: "We want to encourage gardeners to try peat-free composts for patio pots, but at the moment we can't recommend any of the brands tested for raising seedlings or growing young plants."

The problem is that emerging seedlings only thrive in composts with low levels of dissolved nutrients, which is easy for manufacturers to achieve with peat composts, as peat contains hardly any soluble nutrients. But the levels of dissolved nutrients which make up peat-free compost are a lot more unpredictable.

Also, peat-free brands are likely to vary from bag to bag, the Association warns."If you're lucky, you'll get a good bag. Get a bad one and you could be put off ever buying a packet of seeds again," it says. "Gardeners tend to blame themselves or the seed, not the compost, for bad results. Peat-free composts are also more likely to deteriorate with time than peat-based ones."

Bark, wood waste and composted waste are continually breaking down and this alters nutrient levels. Peat breaks down too, but does so much more slowly."

So be warned - peat-free may be more environmentally friendly, but it's yet to fully meet the requirements of the

gardener who wants to raise seedlings and grow young plants.

THIS WEEK'S

GARDENING CHORES

If the weather forecast predicts frost, turn the water supply off to the outside taps from inside the home.

Reduce algae spreading in your pond with packeted barley straw.

Secure climbers and trees that may have come adrift in the winter winds.

Order summer-flowering bulbs.

Sow quick-growing perennials like campanulas and poppies to flower this year.

If you are thinking of sowing or planting, make sure the soil is warm enough by testing it with a soil thermometer. Don't sow until the temperature has remained above 7C/45F for a week.

Check for greenfly and whitefly on greenhouse and indoor plants.

Fill up your bird-feeders to encourage more feathered friends into the garden.

Cut down straggly seedheads of perennials, including ornamental grasses

Don't leave houseplants behind

curtains on frosty nights.

Place cloches where you want to sow early vegetables in March. They will warm up the soil.

Keep digging over the ground, if

weather permits.