If you are lucky enough to be growing on peaty soil, grow as intensively as you can, as it is always potentially very fertile and usually easy to work. You’ll find it easy to produce bumper crops and beautiful flowers year after year. Properly managed, a peat soil is superb but, like other soils, it does have its problems.
Most importantly, peat soils are liable to be acidic and will therefore need generous applications of lime to restore the pH balance in the fruit and vegetable plots. In the ornamental garden, provided you choose the correct plants, this should not be necessary.
Furthermore, when they are drained, peat soils tend to dry out quite rapidly in hot weather. If they are allowed to dry out completely, they will shrink and may be difficult to get wet again. To prevent this, some hand watering may be necessary in dry weather.
Digging
The timing of cultivation is not critical. It is not necessary to leave peat rough during the winter.
Drainage
Moorland and fenland peats are often badly drained so you may need to install a drainage system.
Organic Matter
A major advantage of peat is that it is not normally necessary to add any humus-making materials. Peat, unlike the other soils, is largely made up of decomposed matter. It therefore has a low mineral content but contains an excess of organic matter. However, the soil is likely to be low in nutrients to start with so you may need to add fertilizers.
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