Peat, weeds and (real) Easter eggs

This week an update on peat, why my geese love goosegrass, a recipe for a cake and a garden visit

A ban on peat …. is it really coming?

April is looming, and for me, that means campaigning under the banner of PeatFreeApril, a month-long campaign to educate people via social media on why peat should stay in the ground. I had written about why we need a ban on the use of peat in horticulture, but this all changed when I heard that Theresa Villiers had introduced a 10-minute motion to bring in a bill to prohibit the sale in England of horticultural peat by the end of 2024 and to provide for certain exemptions from that prohibition and for connected purposes. The bill will be heard on 16 April. There is government commitment and cross party support, so I really, really hope that I will be reporting good news.

Meanwhile if you are visiting a garden centre over Easter and looking to buy some potting compost, check the bag – all the peat free composts have it written boldly across the front. Don’t be fooled by the reduced peat ones.

This year our campaign is focused on making compost so gar…