Good morning. We live in the Fraser Valley. I am trying to find somewhere to buy peat free potting soil. Any suggestions? Thanks
If you are asking about bagged products it seems like there would be quite a few of them at garden centers. For that matter I'd expect bulk products to be on the local market that were bark based also.
All I have been able to find that are bagged with no peat are really heavy, rich soils. Useful, but need to be cut with something so they aren’t so heavy.
Think about making your own - this is another subject area where the retail market is being given the impression it is more complex than it needs to be. With not all those producing horticultural crops commercially using 10 ingredient potting media by any means. For instance when I worked on a rhododendron farm that was growing containerized evergreen azaleas under plastic the potting medium used consisted entirely of fine grade bark mulch. With adequate mineral content being maintained by watering with a fertilizer injector. In another example a retail specialty nursery growing all its own stock that I helped with for a time potted everything in bark mulch and sand. With there being a basic proportion of the two used for most kinds and dry climate types getting a sandier combination. And two different slow release fertilizer products being mixed in at time of blending the bark and sand.
Have you looked at products from this company ? Peat Moss AlternativeContact SEA SOIL (I am not associated in any way other than buying the products) Yes - the container product does retain moisture - which is great in summer at coast nr Vanc —- tho it is soggy in winter I do add some rough clean sand gravel or oyster shells (usually meant for chickens)
