Sustainable seed composts

...yes, they do exist!

So there you are with an inviting box of seed packets rustling with potential life: you’ve lined up all your pots and newspaper modules ready to go and… then what?

What you put in those pots really matters

The stuff you fill your pots with and sow your seed into is one of those issues which brings you up short if you’re a sustainable gardener. Seeds germinate best in compost that’s just the right combination of low nutrient, high moisture retention and drainability your nascent seedlings need to thrive.

The trouble is, that pretty much exactly describes peat. You can germinate seeds sown directly into peat. It’s cheap, readily available and easy to use: no wonder it’s been the base ingredient for seed composts for years. It’s also the single most environmentally damaging material we use as gardeners: extracting peat exposes thousand-year-old carbon stores to the air, oxidising it to form carbon dioxide and directly contributing to climate change. I refuse to use it.

So what’s a keen seed sower supposed to do instead?