Happy December! We are always grateful to hear from our readers. A lot of times, you add some wonderfully helpful gardening advice, too! 

“I enjoy many of your articles. I wish I had time to read more.”

• Anonymous

“Great job writing informative articles. Thank you!“

• Anonymous

“I’m SO happy to be part of this community. I sent my best friend a subscription because I loved it so much. She loves gardening as much as I do. She’s in Missouri, and I’m in Colorado.“

• Anonymous

“The favorite vegetable information is very important to me a Master Gardener to guide my presentations to gardening audiences.”

• Anonymous

Tippers on Peat-Free vs Peat-Based Compost: Which is Better?
 

“Peatlands only cover 3-4% of the earth’s surface. Forests cover 31%. That 3 to 4% of peatlands stores twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. It can take thousands of years to replace a peatland. Forests can recover in about 100 years, depending on the type of trees.”

• E. Olson

“Damping off and fungal infections were a real problem with seedlings, especially lettuce! Also, I have never lost so many potted plants, mainly fuchsias, geraniums, and begonias, as I have since been using peat-free plants that were several years old. The pots become waterlogged in periods of rainy weather, and the compost loses its nutrients quickly. I always buy new stock and good-quality compost. The only good thing is that vine weevil do not like it as much, their presence is noticeably less. On the whole, it was very disappointing.

• J. Hansell

“Prior to sowing seeds, I sieve my compost, and I find peat-based compost is easier to sieve.”

• A. Alexander

“I like PittMoss. Environmentally friendly & works great.”

• V. Conger

“I haven’t found a single peat-free compost that I like better than peat-based compost. I used some ericaceous peat-free compost to mulch my well-established rhododendrons, and three of them died. The peat-free stuff dries out too quickly and seems to have no substance. I won’t be able to buy any more acid-loving plants in the future. It’s rubbish.”

• S. Roberts

If you’d like to share your feedback in a future issue, please comment below or email your comments, feedback, and suggestions to submissions@foodgardening.com with “Subscriber Feedback” in the email subject line.