Century old carbon sequestering Minnesota bogs are being destroyed so we can better our own gardens…but they don’t have to be. A heartfelt plea for you to stop, reduce, or at least be aware of your peat usage. Our state’s bogs depend on it.

My first year of flower farming felt a little like I was bobbing in and out of information ocean. I was juggling so many new tasks that my main concern was getting it done. With a season under my belt, I have the mental space to not only get my tasks done but find ways to do them “better.” One of my “betters” in seed starting is using a soil mix that doesn’t use peat moss.

“Peat is considered a renewable resource. But that’s a relative concept. It’s growth is measured in inches per century. Minnesota’s peatlands have been about 6,000 years in the making. They function as a natural water filter and prevent flooding. Some peat bogs support rare plants and animals. Ultimately, the biggest challenge facing peat industry enthusiasts may be convincing the public that it’s a good idea to dig it up”

— Tom Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio

This journey started as a quick “what is peat moss?” google search at the urging of a flower farmer concerned about its environmental impact. Google spewed out a mix of articles starting with peat moss/sphagnum moss being a gardening staple - compromising 60%-90% of almost all potting mixes. You can buy it in 4 cubic foot bricks or by the semi load to add to raised beds or any area where the soil needs a little organic material. Peat moss is everywhere. I have a brick of it sitting in my seed starting room and have never given it a second thought.

“One square metre [10sq. ft] of peatland from the Hudson Bay Lowlands of Northern Canada, the second-largest peatland in the world, holds approximately five times the amount of carbon as one square metre [10 sq. ft] of tropical rainforest in the Amazon.”

— Ed Struzzi - Yale Enviorment 360

As I dug a little deeper I discovered peat is considered somewhere between a nonrenewable resource and “slowly renewable” resource, depending on who’s doing the reasoning. Peat is a decomposing moss underneath century-old bogs. The peat being harvested has taken thousands of years to develop and though some say it can begin to regenerate but this regeneration takes incredible amounts of time and does not restore all of the fauna, flora, and Co2 that was released in its harvest.

“Although they cover just 3% of Earth’s surface, peatlands contain roughly one-third of the planet’s terrestrial carbon stores.”

— Tom Robertson Minnesota Public Radio

To collect peat, bogs are drained, the moss is scrapped off the top, peat is left to dry, and then vacuumed up, piled, packaged and shipped off to garden centers around the world. These once green and wet landscapes covered with species of birds, lemmings, and flora found nowhere else quickly become brown dry deserts. It is said that peat is harvested only after environmental analysis and impact studies; using “sustainable methods;” and with conservation and bog restoration in mind. But to me these efforts aren’t eliminating the impact of peat harvesting, they are simply finding ways to overlook the realities of the industry. If these bogs held a life-saving, irreplaceable resource we needed my thoughts on harvesting might be different. But destroying 14,000 year old carbon sequestering bogs that house rare wildlife so that peat moss can be placed in a potting soil bag labeled natural, organic, and used for regenerative gardening is NOT a good enough of a reason for me. Alternatives exist and it is our responsibility to use them.

“In other parts of the world, concerns about climate change prompted several countries to plan to decrease or eliminate the use of peat, owing to peatland’s ability to act as a carbon sink. Ireland’s peat production was expected to decrease over the coming years...Ireland planned to stop all peat harvesting by 2028, 2 years ahead of the previously announced schedule. In 2020, Finland continued to work toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035. To achieve this, peat production will be phased out..”

— U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2021

Reading about this happening to peat bogs in Canada and Europe was sad, but my heart sank when I read about what has been labeled Minnesota’s newest cash crop —peat moss. Minnesota’s 6 million acres of peat bogs have not gone unnoticed by peat companies. Yes, you read that right 6 million acres, 10% of Minnesota’s land is covered with peat bogs. This is the most of any state in the lower 48. These are the same bogs that my friends traveled hundreds of miles to spot elusive birds; The same bogs that have been named one of the biggest weapons in the fight against global warming; The same bogs that lie in my backyard. “Many a birder has said that if they could only bird in one spot in Minnesota, they would choose Sax-Zim Bog.” I had no idea the commercial harvest of peat is happening right now in Minnesota with a push for more all the time. American Peat Technology a peat production company that is headquartered in Aikin, MN said on their website “At current rates of use, the company expects to harvest peat in its existing permitted harvest area through at least 2050. The company hopes to grow and exceed its current use rate, which obviously reduces the expected lifetime of the current harvest area. The long-term plan of APT is to develop additional peat deposits and new manufacturing locations to meet future demand. Because opening new peatlands for development is a time-consuming, arduous and costly process involving numerous permitting agencies and requiring APT to seek a social license from the community, the process of expansion is already underway.” APT even goes on to admit peat harvest completely alters the environment but implies it is necessary and the jobs and charitable donations it makes is enough to counter act that. APT states “Peat harvest necessarily disturbs the natural landscape, but in the process, APT invests in the community that hosts them through the generation of well-paying jobs, a commitment to buying locally as much as possible and a generous charitable donation program.” This isn’t a far off problem, this is a Minnesota problem. As countries around the world such as Finland phasing out peat production because of its environmental impacts, the demand for Minnesota grown peat will only increase.

“At current rates of use, the company expects to harvest peat in its existing permitted harvest area through at least 2050. The company hopes to grow and exceed its current use rate, which obviously reduces the expected lifetime of the current harvest area. The long-term plan of APT is to develop additional peat deposits and new manufacturing locations to meet future demand... [T]he process of expansion is already underway.”

— American Peat Technology on it's Aikin MN peat harvesting area

All of this is to say I will no longer be using peat. I grow flowers to feel more connected to nature. I don’t feel right about destroying a different bird and butterfly’s habitat to in order to grow my own. I don’t want to turn our state’s beautiful bogs into Minnesota’s “Next Cash Crop” when I can substitute peat with a little extra effort.

I urge you to stop using peat, reduce using peat or at least be aware of what you are using when you’re gardening this year. There are a variety of options out there for going peat free. A quick google search of peat free potting soil brings up lots of options. Back to the Roots has a line available at Target and Walmart. Pitmoss is another great substitute made out of recycled paper. You can also find ways to make your own. In most homemade recipes coconut coir is used. This is also known as garden coir or coir. it is made from coconut husks. Hennepin County Master Gardeners has a great make your own peat free recipes. I urge you to stop using, reduce using or at least be aware of what you are using when you plant your seeds this spring.

For seedlings:

1 part compost
2 parts coconut coir
1 part builder’s (sharp) sand

For ornamental plants:

1 part coconut coir (follow package directions for wetting the coir before use)
1 part compost
1 part good garden topsoil
1 part builder’s sand or perlite

For edibles:

2 parts compost
2 parts coconut coir
1 part builder’s sand

This bag of coconut coir can be found at a wide variety of stores as a peat substitute.

These are all great, easy to make options that don’t require a lot of additives. For my seed starting I have been trying to rely on just compost with a few extra inoculants and nutrients in hopes more robust pants. So far it has been working.

1 bag compost that I sift
2 cups green sand
1/2 cup bloodmeal
1/2 cup bonemeal
sprinkle of mycorrhizae (follow package instructions)

Blossom and Branch is also a great source for a peat-free soil blocking recipe. I have tried this one and love it. Here is a you tube tutorial is listed below.

I want to finish by inviting you to experience the wonder that is a Minnesota bog so you understand why I want to keep even a small portion of them from being destroyed. Author Joseph Hickey wrote, “By some it is regarded as a mild paralysis of the central nervous system, which can be cured only by rising at dawn and sitting in a bog.” Many a birder has said that if they could only bird in one spot in Minnesota, they would choose Sax-Zim Bog. Below are a list of some other Minnesota State parks, forests and nature areas that contain large amount of bog land for you to check out on your summer road trips and remind you why they are so important to protect.

Lake Bemidji State Park, the Tamarack Bog

Big Bog State Recreation Area

Hayes Lake State Park, The Cedar Bog

Black Lake Bog SNA

Red Lake Peatland SNA

Beltrami Island State Forest

Smokey Bear State Forest

Sax -Zim Bog

“Some of these peatlands can be 30, 35 feet deep and it’s just all carbon and carbon products. When you start disturbing these ecosystems for any reason, they are prime to flip from being sinks of carbon to being sources.”

— Randy Kolka, research soil scientist with the U.S. Forest Service in Grand Rapids

More sources to check out:

Minnesota Bog Land

Peat’s Environmental impact

Peat Free

Minnesota Peat Harvest

The Dirt on Our Dirt.

Century old carbon sequestering Minnesota bogs are being destroyed so we can better our own gardens…but they don’t have to be. A heartfelt plea for you to stop, reduce, or at least be aware of your peat usage. Our state’s bogs depend on it.

Golden.

Starting Seeds: Novice to Novice