Puddock Hill Journal – Entry #6: Top 3 Reasons to Avoid Peat Moss
Sometimes backyard stewardship requires us to consider the impacts our decisions have beyond our immediate environs and even beyond our region. The common soil amendment peat moss presents one such case.
As part of an extensive patio renovation, we recently built some raised beds in gravel for my wife, Pam, to grow vegetables and cut flowers. Here’s what they look like:
Nice, right? They’re western red cedar because we couldn’t get natural rot-resistant (that is, untreated) lumber closer to home. This source doesn’t have the light carbon footprint we would prefer, but at least we won’t be leaching flavor-of-the-day chemicals into our soil and asparagus.
I hasten to note that only about a third of the plants in these boxes will be native, so while I may at times seem to be promoting native plants with a level of enthusiasm that approaches religious fervor, my dedication to the proposition does allow for exceptions. My attitude is a bit like Saint Augustine’s famous ironic prayer, I guess: “Oh, Lord, make me chaste and celibate, but not yet.”