Ceri Thomas

2. Ceri Thomas, Editor of Which? Gardening Click to edit Master subtitle style

3. Which? Gardening �We exist to make individuals as powerful as the organisations they have to deal with in their daily lives.�

4. Our research The following information is based on two surveys we�ve undertaken: 2008 � responses from over 1,300 Which Gardening members 2010 � responses from over 3,800 Which? Members

5. Different audiences Women seem most concerned about sustainability eg 86% of women were concerned about the environmental impact of peat Older men seem to be the hardest group to reach 18% of men over 65 were aware of the environmental impact of peat but unconcerned, compared to 9% of those under 45. Similarly 14% of over 65s say they�d never use organic products, compared to 9% of under 45s.

6. Wildlife 97% of members are interested in attracting wildlife to their gardens For many people it seems one of the first points of entry to sustainable gardening 85% put out food 74% chose plants to attract birds/insects 52% have planted trees 37% have created a wildlife pond 21% have created a wildlife hedge All useful themes for creating product displays in store. Be careful not to put them off by selling products that don�t work � We experienced extremely poor results with a range of wildlife homes (Nov 11). The Wildlife World Pollinating Bee Log was the only successful shop-bought product on test. However even this was less effective than our home-made version.

7. Buying plants 58% said they�d be more likely to buy a plant if they knew it was produced in Britain. 66% said they�d be more likely to buy if it was produced locally. The reasons behind this were 82% would like to support the local economy 47% would like to support the national economy while on the environmental side 49% were concerned about air miles 34% were concerned about the carbon footprint 30% were concerned about energy use in plant production

8. Peat 78% of members claim to be aware and concerned about the environmental impact of peat (only 6% were unaware.) We conduct annual compost trials, which we feature in our Jan/Feb and Mar issues For example, this year�s seed compost trial involved sowing 12,000 seeds We trial widely available composts and buy each of them from four different parts of the UK to test for consistency in compost quality. We have still to find a Best Buy peat-free compost for sowing seeds and growing on young plants. For growing plants in containers, we have a Best Buy peat-free product which performed just as well as the Best Buy peat-based compost.

9. Peat and 2020 The government is proposing to phase out the horticultural use of peat by amateur gardeners in England by 2010 We found it odd that three of the big compost producers are bringing out new peat-based products this year: Jack�s Magic, from Westland, 90% peat Gro Your Own Herb Planter, from Miracle-Gro, 60-90% peat GroWise range, from Vital Earth, 75% peat max Lots of companies seem to be working on ingredients for peat-free products so hopefully quality will improve as there are still some very poor products out there which bring down the reputation of the whole industry.

10. Organic gardening One in eight members always uses organic products in their gardens. The main reasons they give for choosing organic products are: benefits to the wider environment (75%) benefits to wildlife in the garden (71%) health benefits (57%) We need to be careful that people fully understand what the real benefits of organic gardening are � our trial (Mar 11) revealed that organically grown calabrese, potatoes and tomatoes didn�t taste any better or contain more nutrients. This doesn�t mean that organic gardening isn�t worth doing. There are plenty of valid reasons. Justifying organic gardening using things that don�t stand up weakens the case for it.

11. Choosing between organic and non-organic 58% say they sometimes use chemicals in certain circumstances Organic versions are most likely to be chosen for: Plant food Insecticides slug pellets � good news as we�ve just found that organic slug pellets based on ferric phosphate are just as effective as ones based on metaldehyde (Apr 11) and of course they provide no threat to people, pets or wildlife Non-organic versions are most likely to be chosen for: Lawn foods Weedkillers

12. Reasons not to use organic products The main reasons given for not using organic products are: resistance to change (34%) lack of trust in their efficacy (32%) � which is where our research can often help to change their opinions Cost is also a factor (27%) as is availability (24%)

13. Stamping out confusion There is no legal definition for the term �organic� in relation to gardening products And no legal requirement for manufacturers to put their products through an organic certification scheme. We surveyed nearly 4000 Which? Members in 2010 Over half said they felt confused about what the terms �organic� and �natural� mean A quarter thought the terms were interchangeable. When we bought 14 garden products, including plant food, pesticides and herbicides, all claiming to be �natural� and/or �organic�, we found plenty of example of �greenwash�. Garden Organic gave us their verdict on the claims being made on packaging. Which? wants to see clear, meaningful green claims that are backed up by evidence so that consumers can make truly informed choices.