How green is your garden compost?
March 8, 2010 by Linda
Filed under Composting, Green Gardening
Diarmuid Gavin gives his top tips on preparing your sustainable garden for summer
After one of the longest and coldest winters most of us can remember, the first shoots of spring are slowly starting to emerge. And while it is still too early for the nation’s gardeners to start preparing the beds and borders in their gardens, there is plenty to be done indoors, particularly when it comes to seeding.
However despite many of us pledging to get back out and into our gardens this year, barely a third of gardeners are aware of the serious environmental issues surrounding the use of peat.[1]
Nowadays, with environmental concerns high on everyone’s agenda, choosing your compost is as important as the seeds you select.
Every year, 3 million cubic metres of peat is used in the UK for horticultural use and sales of multi-purpose compost. But the extraction of peat releases Significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, as well as damaging lowland raised peat bogs, which are home to many rare animals and plants. Just under half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide is emitted in the atmosphere each year as a result of peat extraction from UK sites alone; that’s comparable to the total emissions of over 100,000 homes. [2]
Fortunately there are environmentally friendly compost solutions available , and in the following video, gardening guru Diarmuid Gavin shows you how to make your garden green in every possible sense - using peat-free compost to reduce your carbon footprint and preserve our valuable peatland habitats and wildlife.
For more information visit www.direct.gov.uk/buyingcompost ( live from 8th March)
Copy this link into your browser to watch Diarmuid's video: http://www.linkto.tv/iframe/show/uuid/dirO6G44RTM
[1] One Poll Survey, over the period 27028 Jan 2009, 2000 respondents
[2] The UK’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory records emissions of 420,000 tonnes a year for peat extraction from UK sites. However, 57% of the peat that we use in the UK is imported, mainly from the Republic of Ireland and the Baltics.
Similar Articles:
- The Pretty way to Compost your Kitchen Waste - Composting is a great way to recycle kitchen scraps that would normally be thrown away with the normal household waste. You can, of course, put your scraps in bowl or bag and transfer them to your compost heap or green bin but the prettier way is to use one of these Compost Crocks from Lakeland. ...
- Green Gardening - Give your garden a green makeup this summer; saving you money and cutting down on waste. Keeping your garden looking great can come at a cost, here are some ideas to keep your garden “green” Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Share on Linkedin Share with Stumblers Tweet about it ...
- Make your own Compost - Composting can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it and the best part is that it can consist of any organic material that we all have access to every single day from the lawn, the garden, and the kitchen. Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up ...
