Peat Alternative for the Rest-of-Us

Hooray! My little shipment of Coco-Peat just arrived. Very exciting in my gardening-nerd world. I'll be able to spend time this weekend creating concoctions of seed starting and potting soil mixes.

Some details and notes from the supplier regarding Coco-Peat (a.k.a. coir):

1. They come in small bricks and you just add 4 quarts of water per brick - to 'reconstitute' the peat.
2. Coco-Peat is from a renewable resource - husk fiber - which is a waste product from the coconut harvesting process.
3. It is naturally resistant to mold and fungal growth.
4. It has natural rooting hormones.
5. Makes a great bedding material for worm bins.
6. Can be reused for up to 4 years.
7. Can be used in seeds starting mixes, container plant mixes, garden beds and hydroponics.
8. It holds 8-9 times its weight in water vs. traditional peat - which tends to just shed water.

I ordered my bricks from Golden Harvest Organics but there is also a great local supplier - Countryside Natural Products - in Fishersville, VA (Thanks again for the tip, Janet!) . It looks like they offer shipping options, as well.

According to Golden Harvest, "[Typical] peat moss is strip mined from peat bogs, which are a non-renewable sensitive eco-system." Eeek. Coco-peat. Enough said.