Southern Trident

across the range are asking for peat free, there is no particular type, but the biggest challenge is trying to sell it at a comparable price as it is significantly more expensive than peat passed compost.

“Managing customer expectations withpeatfree compost is still a problem. There are huge differences in consistency between brands and we are having to offer exchanges to customers who aren’t happy with the compost they have chosen. Without mentioning brands they all seem to have a drawback or two: some are very heavy and wet, some dry out very quickly, some grow mushrooms, some ‘smell funny’, some ‘look funny’ so helping a customer understand and find a compost that works for them has become an important job for us but it also makes it hard to find a brand that ticks all the boxes that we can really get behind.

“We are always on the lookout for sustainable products. Interestingly one of the most commonly asked questions this year is about the plastic waste generated from compost bags. It would be great if the industry could come up with some kind of ‘takeback’ scheme.”

William Blake, Managing Director, St

Peters Garden Centre told GTN: “We are definitely getting an increasing number of customers asking for and buying peat-free growing media. Still a long way to go, but our peat-free sales are steadily growing. 4.5% in 2019, 9% in 2021, 16% so far in 2022.

“It’s younger people asking for it, and older people who are taking notice of what they see in the media.

“For the majority, it seems the biggest influence is price. Experienced gardeners may pick a specific product or brand, but most are led by the multi buys and price. We are pricing and promoting peat free exactly the same as peat-based products to mitigate this influence.

“The most common question is: ‘Is it any good’, followed by ‘is there a knack to using it’.

“We’re constantly seeking out environmentally friendly and sustainable products, along with trying to minimise our impact on the planet.”

Steve Searle. Store Manager, Monkton

Elm Garden Centre said: “We are definitely noticing a move towards peat free this year from experienced gardeners and new to gardening customers as most have either read about peat-free compost or seen it on the news and feel they need to change. There are still customers who just look for the price but