PEAT a limited resource

[nightshade]

Today I tried to buy Peat free compost and was dismayed at the alternatives on offer
can anyone actually recommend a workable substitute?
Nobody at the stores or garden centres I visited were prepared to swear hand on heart that
any of the substitutes were as good or that they gave good value for money (not necessarily cheaper just good value!!)
Peat is an ancient product of living bogs,where mosses,heathers and other plants die and sink into waterlogged ground and undergo a slow decomposition due to a lack of oxygen.
They are very important wildlife habitats but already 94%of the UK sites have been damaged or destroyed, they have thrown up some interesting archaeological finds,well preserved bodies (not Boddies)
Even SSSIs are not safe,and it is all driven by the amateur gardeners(well nearly 75% of it)
desire to buy plants potted in peat and composts comprising mainly of peat
As Peat is a finite resource which absorbs CO2 and cannot be replaced,succours a wide range of wildlife, I think everyone should do their level best to avoid peat products where possible

[wildone]

But as you have already found, there does not seem to be a suitable alternative. Many things have been tried but have not proved to be successful and until the gardeners refuse to by peat based products the industry will not manage to find another alternative. They will only do so when their profits are hit. So gardeners if needs be go back to the old John Innes loam based composts but refuse any peat based compost, grow bags or peat pots and basket liners.

[Alan]

I've used Terra Ecosystems peat-free compost, it has an RSPB approved label on the bag. I've found it just as good as any peat-based compost. I've also used the coconut derived stuff - not sure how echo-friendly this is though as it is shipped from abroad. Even if you do get better performance from peat-based, surely you'd only need it if entering competitions etc. I'd certainly settle for a few less tomatoes etc, for the sake of the environment. If you can't buy peat-free in your area, why not make your own compost!

About an hours drive from me is Thorne Moors - an internationally important habitat, and yet it is being turned into a desert because of peat extraction. As long as people buy peat, this will continue to happen.