Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT?

Peat is a dark, carbon-rich natural material formed from partially decomposed plants in waterlogged bogs and wetlands over thousands of years. It has been widely used in garden compost because it is light, consistent, easy to handle and good at holding air and water.

The problem is that peatlands are also incredibly important natural ecosystems. They store carbon, support rare wildlife, help filter water and can reduce flood risk. When peat is extracted for compost, those landscapes are damaged, and the carbon stored inside them is released into the atmosphere.
Peat-free compost is a growing medium made without peat. Instead, it uses alternative ingredients such as wood fibre, bark, coir, green compost, loam, composted plant materials and other organic or mineral ingredients.

Peat-free compost is not one single thing. It is a broad category, and quality depends heavily on the ingredients, recipe, composting process and testing. Government analysis of the growing media market shows that wood-based materials, bark, coir and composted green waste have become major peat-free inputs.
Peat-free composts can be inconsistent.

Common complaints include:

drying out too quickly

being difficult to re-wet once dry

variable nutrient levels

poor structure

compaction in pots

inconsistent quality between bags

a need for extra feeding or careful watering

This is not because peat-free is a bad idea. It is because replacing peat properly is technically difficult. A good growing medium has to balance water retention, air space, drainage, nutrition, pH, structure and biology. The RHS identifies irrigation and nutrition as two of the key practical challenges in peat-free growing, while government analysis notes that availability, cost and quality of peat-free ingredients are important market risks.
Green waste is usually garden and plant waste collected from homes, councils, parks, gardens and landscaping work. It can include grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, prunings, weeds and other plant material.

In everyday terms, it is often “green bin waste”, although exactly what goes into those bins varies by council. Some systems may also collect food waste separately or alongside garden waste, depending on local rules.

Green waste is useful, but it can be variable. It depends on what people put in the bin, the time of year, the collection system and the processing method. Government analysis notes that composted green waste can be useful in growing media, but that controlling contamination can be a challenge.
Grown-For is a new way of thinking about compost.

Instead of relying only on waste streams or imported raw materials, Grown-For is about using renewable crops and sustainable resources that are deliberately grown, blended and composted to become high-quality growing media.

The core idea is simple:

Grown for plants, grown for gardeners, grown for growers, and grown for the future.

Our focus is on willow and other UK-grown renewable materials that can help create a more reliable, consistent and sustainable alternative to peat and imported coir.
Willow compost is a growing medium made using willow as a key ingredient.

Short Rotation Coppice willow is harvested, chipped or processed, then blended with other organic materials to help it compost properly. Because willow is woody and carbon-rich, it needs the right balance of nitrogen-rich materials, moisture, air and time to become a stable growing medium.
Willow compost is a growing medium made using willow as a key ingredient.

Short Rotation Coppice willow is harvested, chipped or processed, then blended with other organic materials to help it compost properly. Because willow is woody and carbon-rich, it needs the right balance of nitrogen-rich materials, moisture, air and time to become a stable growing medium.
Yes. The purpose of Grown-For is to support the transition away from peat.

Peat extraction damages rare habitats, releases stored carbon and undermines the natural role of peatlands as carbon stores, water filters and flood-mitigation landscapes. Grown-For is designed to help provide a practical, scalable alternative.
No.

Green waste compost is usually made from collected waste plant material. Grown-For is different because the ingredients are deliberately grown, selected and blended for a purpose.

That means the aim is to create a compost that is:

more consistent

more reliable

more traceable

more scalable

better suited to commercial growing

less dependent on imports

less dependent on variable waste streams

Grown-For simply takes the next step: growing the ingredients we need, rather than hoping waste streams alone can solve the problem.

WHY

Peat-free compost is better for the environment because it avoids extracting peat from fragile peatland ecosystems.

Peatlands are among the most important carbon stores in the UK. They also provide rare habitats, help manage water and support biodiversity. When peat is extracted, the peatland is damaged and stored carbon is released as carbon dioxide.

Moving away from peat helps protect:

carbon stores

wetlands

rare wildlife

natural water systems

landscapes that took thousands of years to form
Because gardeners and growers still need compost that performs.

People are willing to move away from peat, but they still need compost that holds water, feeds plants properly, supports roots and gives reliable results. If peat-free compost fails, plants fail — and people lose confidence.

Grown-For is designed to help solve that problem by creating peat-free compost from planned, renewable, UK-grown inputs rather than relying only on variable waste materials or long-distance imports.
Yes. Strategically, environmentally and economically, England should be growing far more of its own compost and growing media ingredients.

The horticulture industry currently relies on a mixture of domestic and imported materials, including coir, bark, wood fibre, fertilisers and other inputs. Some of these materials are exposed to shipping costs, overseas climate conditions and global supply disruption. Government analysis has already highlighted that peat-free input availability is a key issue for the transition away from peat.

Growing more compost ingredients in England would help improve:

supply resilience

price stability

traceability

rural jobs

farm diversification

biodiversity

carbon reduction

confidence in peat-free products

The future should not be about replacing one dependency with another. It should be about building a stronger domestic growing media system.
Grown-For is not about saying green waste is bad. Green waste is valuable and should be used well.

The issue is that green waste can be inconsistent. It changes with the seasons, the council area, the collection method and what people put in their bins. It may also contain contaminants or variable nutrient levels.

Grown-For is designed to be more predictable. Willow and other sustainable crops can be grown specifically for compost production, harvested to specification, blended to a recipe and tested for performance.

That means better control over:

structure

moisture behaviour

nutrient balance

consistency

contamination risk

supply planning

product performance
Willow is fast-growing, renewable and well suited to the UK climate. As a perennial crop, it can stay in the ground for many years, regrowing after each harvest.
Yes, willow can capture and store carbon as it grows, particularly through its root systems and leaf litter. The carbon benefits are described as coming from carbon captured and stored in roots and through biodegrading leaf litter.

Willow is a fast-growing renewable crop that captures carbon as it grows and can contribute to lower-carbon growing media systems when managed well.
Yes. Willow can support a wide range of wildlife, especially when planted and managed well.

Willow catkins provide an important early source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects. Willow branches can also provide nesting and roosting sites for birds.

Research on short rotation coppice also shows benefits for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Studies have found that SRC can support more plant species, more edge habitat, butterflies, diverse insect life and different bird communities compared with nearby arable or grassland controls.

Willow supports a wide range of pollinators, insects, birds, plants and small mammals — especially when planted in mixed, well-managed habitats.
Willow helps biodiversity by creating structure in the landscape.

It can provide:

early pollen and nectar

shelter for birds and mammals

nesting and roosting spaces

habitat for insects

wildlife corridors

edge habitats

seasonal variation as the crop grows and is coppiced

SRC willow is especially useful when it is planted in smaller blocks, connected with hedgerows, field margins, woodland edges or wildlife corridors, and harvested in rotation rather than all at once.
Water retention is one of the biggest challenges in peat-free compost.

Many gardeners say peat-free compost dries out too quickly or is difficult to re-wet. That matters because roots need both water and air. A good compost should hold enough moisture for plants to grow, while still draining well enough to avoid waterlogging.

Grown-For is designed to explore better-balanced growing media using woody, fibrous, renewable ingredients such as willow, combined with the right organic materials and testing process.
The aim is to create a naturally balanced, biologically active compost using renewable organic ingredients wherever possible.

However, plants need the right nutrients to grow. A responsible compost producer should test the final product and only make claims that are supported by results. If any additional nutrients or minerals are needed for a particular product range, they should be clearly explained on the bag.

A good website phrase would be:

Our goal is to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs by using carefully blended organic materials, while still making sure plants get the nutrition they need.
“Chemical-free” is not the best phrase, because everything is made of chemicals — water, air, nutrients, plants and soil included.

A better phrase is:

low-input, carefully managed and tested.

Lodge Farm states that it minimises chemical use on growing crops, manages hedgerows as habitats, plants areas for insects, birds and butterflies, and heats/powers its venue with renewable energy from biomass and solar.

WHO?

Willow can be grown by farmers across the UK.

Farmers already grow SRC willow for renewable energy, biomass and other sustainable uses. FarmPEP describes the willow compost project as trialling SRC willow, already grown on 3,800 hectares in England, with nitrogen-rich materials such as herbal leys and digestate fibre to create high-quality peat-free compost.

We are building a growing network of more than 200 farms across the UK, helping farmers turn sustainable crops and marginal land into valuable compost ingredients.
The long-term aim is to compost willow close to where it is grown.

That could mean on-farm composting, regional composting hubs, or partnerships between farmers, compost producers and growers. The advantage of this model is that it keeps materials local, reduces transport pressure and helps farmers capture more value from what they grow.
Grown-For is designed to benefit the whole chain.

Farmers benefit because they can earn a more reliable return from willow and other renewable crops, including land that may be less suitable for food production.

Gardeners benefit because they get a more consistent peat-free compost that is designed to perform better.

Growers benefit because they need reliable, scalable, peat-free growing media that can support commercial production.

Garden centres benefit because better compost means fewer failed plants, fewer complaints, fewer returns and more confident customers.

The environment benefits because the system reduces pressure on peatlands, supports biodiversity and helps build a more resilient domestic growing media supply chain.
No.

Grown-For has potential for home gardeners, professional growers, nurseries, garden centres, landscapers and commercial horticulture specifically exploring whether willow-based compost can provide a non-peat, non-coir growing medium for the commercial horticulture sector.
Garden centres are on the front line of the peat-free transition.

If a customer buys poor compost and their plants fail, they often blame the plant, the garden centre or themselves. Better compost means better results, more confidence and more repeat gardening.

Grown-For gives garden centres a stronger story:

British-grown ingredients

peat-free

reduced reliance on coir

supports farmers

supports biodiversity

designed for better performance

part of the next generation of compost

WHERE?

Grown-For Compost begins in 2026. Join our mailing list or follow the campaign to hear when trial bags, stockists and launch partners are announced.
No.

Grown-For should focus on marginal, difficult or lower-grade land, field edges, awkward corners, buffer strips and land that can benefit from perennial cropping. Willow can also be integrated into existing farm landscapes rather than replacing food production.

The Biomass Connect factsheet explains that second-generation, non-edible biomass feedstocks such as willow can avoid direct competition with food when integrated into agricultural landscapes, especially when planted on marginal land and managed to provide multiple ecosystem services.
No.

The goal is not to replace good food-growing land with compost crops. The goal is to use the right land for the right purpose.

Some land is best for food. Some land is better suited to perennial crops, biodiversity strips, biomass, water protection or soil improvement. Grown-For is about adding value to the farm landscape, not taking food off the table.

WHEN?

The campaign begins in 2026.

Grown-For begins in 2026, with trial production, testing and grower feedback leading the way.
We are currently trialling and testing Grown-For compost. Wider availability will follow once the product has passed our performance, consistency and safety checks.
By testing it properly.

A good compost should not just sound sustainable ( it has to grow plants well.)

The trial process includes monitoring temperature and moisture, turning the piles, watering when needed, allowing the feedstocks to decompose fully, then testing the finished material using lab-based industry methods and on-site germination tests.
Because compost is not just “brown stuff in a bag”.

A growing medium has to support living roots. That means it must have the right structure, water behaviour, nutrient balance, pH, maturity and stability.

Testing helps make sure the finished compost is safe, consistent and genuinely useful for gardeners and growers.