There is now a fully fledged anti-peat lobby which has chosen to use all sorts of rather underhand propaganda to further its aims. Very few of its arguments stand up to scrutiny.
The main claim leveled is that peat is a 'non-renewable' like oil. This is simply not true. If carefully harvested from live peat bogs, peat is a fully renewable resource. Anyone can see this for themselves in countries such as Sweden. Here peat is grown and harvested rather like tree plantations. Scientists have estimated that the annual growth in peat far exceeds the amount that is extracted each year, so it is in essence a completely renewable resource.
A 2nd major falsehood which is constantly peddled, is that the world is somehow running short of peat. The area from Norway to Siberia is, rather simply put, the world's largest peat bog. A fraction of 1% of the reserves have probably been extracted. Most of the land where the peat is, is of little or no use. Compared to farming, fishing, golf courses, or any other major land-use, peat production which is carefully managed, is a sound, sustainable and 'green' activity.
It might come as a surprise to learn that horticulture accounts for only about 2% of peat use. Most peat is burned for fuel.
Square Foot Gardening
A bit more about peat:
Ok that makes me feel a lot better about peat, especially that you only need to buy it once. I was also wondering about what I can safely use to line my Milk Crates (i'm pretty set on using those if I can, they're light, cheap, durable, and have handles!). I was looking at some liners that would just fit in and have dividers already that are removable. http://www.cratemates.com/
I looked into the material, and it's Polypropylene, which is Class 5 recyclable, and what they use in reusable food containers. I was concerned if it may have any toxic/harmful chemicals that could leach into the soil. I don't think it does, but I'd love some confirmation from people who know more than I do about these things. And if it won't work, what would be a good alternative that wouldn't break the very small bank?
I looked into the material, and it's Polypropylene, which is Class 5 recyclable, and what they use in reusable food containers. I was concerned if it may have any toxic/harmful chemicals that could leach into the soil. I don't think it does, but I'd love some confirmation from people who know more than I do about these things. And if it won't work, what would be a good alternative that wouldn't break the very small bank?
In solidarity,
Anders Albertsson
Anders Albertsson