Sustainable Gardening: Why Ditching Peat is Essential for Our Planet
SHERIDAN, WYOMING – February 28, 2025 – SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Feb. 28, 2025 – The move towards eco-conscious gardening is gaining momentum, and a critical component of this shift is understanding why peat should be avoided. Why not use peat when gardening? The answer lies in its profound impact on our planet's carbon storage and biodiversity.
The Role of Peatlands in Carbon Storage
Peat is formed in moors by the deposition of incompletely decomposed plant biomass, such as sphagnum moss. These moor soils are exceptionally rich in carbon. As stated, “although they cover only about three percent of the earth's land area, they bind more than twice as much carbon as all the forests in the world combined.” This highlights the critical role peatlands play as the most potent carbon stores on Earth.
Germany's Moorland Decline and Its Consequences