Choosing Between Peat Moss or Peat-Free Growing

This is our first year of growing, so naturally when it came time to decide on how we wanted to grow, peat moss became a topic of interest and concern.

When we were discussing what values we wanted the Marigold Market to have, sustainability, biodiversity, and supporting healthy ecosystems were at the forefront of our minds. Those values shape many of the choices we make for our business.

The use of peat moss is a topic that has become increasingly common in gardening conversations these days, but like most sustainability topics, it’s more nuanced than simply “good” or “bad.”

What Is Peat Moss?

Peat moss is made from partially decomposed plant material that accumulates very slowly over time in wetlands called peatlands or bogs.

Because it holds moisture well, stays light and airy, and blends easily into potting soil, peat has become extremely common in gardening and commercial growing.

And there’s a good reason so many growers use it. It retains water effectively, improves soil texture, creates lightweight potting mixes, and works especially well for seed starting.

From a practical growing standpoint, peat is genuinely useful and has played a major role in horticulture for a long time.

The Sustainability Concerns

The conversation around peat mostly comes down to how slowly it forms.

Peatlands take hundreds to thousands of years to develop. These ecosystems also store large amounts of carbon and provide important habitat for wildlife, insects, and plant species.

When peat is harvested, those systems are disturbed, and some of that stored carbon can be released back into the atmosphere. Peatlands also play an important role in water regulation and biodiversity, making them valuable ecosystems far beyond gardening alone.

Canada does have peat harvesting regulations and restoration efforts in place, but many gardeners and growers have still begun reconsidering how heavily we rely on peat-based products, especially as more alternatives become available.

What Does Peat-free Mean?

Peat-free growing simply means using soil blends that rely less heavily or totally omit peat moss.

Instead, growers may use materials like compost, coco coir, bark products, vermiculite, perlite, and other organic matter that helps create healthy growing conditions

These mixes can still support strong, healthy plant growth while reducing reliance on peat extraction, though like most natural products, they’re can be quite pricey.

Why We Chose Peat-Free Mixes

For us, it ultimately came down to alignment of our core values and goals.

We care deeply about supporting pollinators, biodiversity, healthy soils, and more sustainable growing practices wherever possible. Choosing peat-free mixes felt like one small but meaningful way to support those values.

That said, we also recognize that sustainability is rarely perfect or all-or-nothing. Peat alternatives have environmental footprints too, and there’s no single flawless solution when it comes to gardening or farming.

We’re still learning, and we expect our growing practices to continue evolving over time. We’d also love to hear your view on peat in the comments!

Small Choices Add Up

A lot of what we’re building at the Marigold Market comes back to the idea that small choices matter:

• The flowers we grow.

• The soil we use.

• The pollinator plants we prioritize.

• The ecosystems we try to support around us.

None of those things change the world overnight on their own, but together they shape the kind of relationship we want to have with the land we grow on.

If you’d like to learn more about the way we grow and the values behind our farm, you can also visit our How We Farm page!