Hi Franklin, have you tried Home Depot? I live in Southern Ontario and they sell it here in huge compressed bags and at a very reasonable price.....Wayne

Hi Wayne...I'll check with them. I thought maybe if there were a bog within reasonable driving distance I would get it there. Franklin

I would also like to know of any bogs available...I wouldnt be able to make too many trips, but would like to try it with a clean bog ( one free of toxic residues, sprays, filterings of any sludge compromised of herbicides or pesticides.)I would want to have only organic or clean moss to collect.

Since peat is not a renewable resource and the bogs support a lot of wildlife, I am thinking many bogs probably would have protected status by now. That might be why a lot of the bagged peat is coming in from Canada.

Actaully, Iam tying to get away from using peat. It is difficult as I grow ornamentals for many people and the peat base is what the market is geared up for and supports. I am looking for an alternative myself. As far a bogs with peat in them, I would be more interested n cranberry bogs that are organic which I may harvest in (foraging style)

Hi Dollmaker...check into the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss asso. site...think you will find that peat moss is very renewable. Franklin

Hi Franklin, it certainly is sustainable in that there's enough in Canada that they can't mine it all in a lifetime at their current rate, but even with the replanting, nobody is pretending they can get it to grow any faster than hundreds of years. We might have different definitions on renewable. Granite is sustainable but not renewable, and you wouldn't see my turn down a granite countertop if one were offered. :D But anyway you were looking for a Maine bog, and I am saying the wetland regulations are why you might not find one.

Gardengarden, have you tried coir yet? Coconut fiber, pronounce "coyer". I have used bagged potting soil with coir instead of peat. And I have seen the bricks at JL Hayes and Pinetree Garden Seeds dot com. I don't know if we can get it in large quantities yet except by mail order. They also make mats you can use for erosion control.

Here is a link that might be useful: a coir article

Hi Dollmaker...according to the CSPMA site...and if you havn't looked at it and done some reading there you should...peat moss in Canada is more then sustainable if anything ever was...:-) There are some interesting links from that site also.
According to them there are 270 million acres of peat moss bogs in Canada. Millions of those acres are in national parks and can never be harvested. By the way Canada has only 25% of the worlds supply of peat. Only 6000 acres (.016 percent) are being harvested...in Canada... at this time. Overall...in canada... peat accumulates at 70 times the rate of harvest. It seems to me that harvesting of peat moss in Canada is hardly scatchin' the surface of whats there...:-)
There are probably no bogs in Maine as you say...but I'm goin' to check with the county agent about it. Franklin

Thanks Franklin, I had already read the site before I posted the last message. It's sustainable because at current mining rates they won't use it all up in a lifetime. They still can't make it grow back sooner than several hundred years. So it's not renewable. That's all I'm saying.

Hi Dollmaker...me thinks I'm beating a dead horse...:-) anyway...I plan on usin' peat moss in my yard and gardens... and if others don't want to...for whatever reason... thats ok with me...:-) Franklin

Here's a link that might be usefull.

http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/load/sustain/msg0220560712829.html?19

Swanz

Hi swanz...thanks for postin' the link that you did...not much new there or helpful. The Canadian link that I posted provides many interesting facts about the Canadian peat moss industry...and some additional interesting links. I'm not locked into a predetermined agenda so I find what they say interesting...and have no reason to think the info. isn't the truth. You have every right to believe as you see fit and I do as well. Happy gardenin'...Franklin

Franklin, sorry it seemed like I was doing that. I was just giving the reason why I think there won't be any Maine ones available to you. I don't have a problem with using peat from Canada.

Hi Dollmaker...I'm not up tight with you or anyone else on the list...not even a little bit...:-) You were a lady when you voiced your opinion. The folks that get me are the sarcastic and self rightous ones that feed me a line of b--- s--- that I know isn't true...:-) I'll chat with you anytime...:-)
And your right about the bog and wetland situation in the state. I have a couple of acres on my land that stays wet until about the end of June because of the high clay content. I would like to bury a tile for drainage so I could hay the piece early to provide hay for mulch and my compost pile. Was told by the county agent that it might be considered a wetland and I couldn't provide a drain. I told the dude that I knew what a wet land and swamp looked like and this sure as h--- didn't look like one to me. It went over his head when I said the land had been farmed for decades...up until about 40 years ago...:-) I got smarts enough and interest enough not to want to drain a swamp and damage habitat that is needed for wildlife...:-) anyway nuff about preachin'.
I have been giving alot of thought to what kind of fruit or veggie I can grow to make a few bucks...maybe enough to pay my land taxes. Thought about tomatoes among other things...and have decided I might give peaches a shot. Franklin

windham maine have 1.6 acres of soft / peat / organic soil 15' deep or so any suggestions house? gardening growing ?

Hello Franklin;
There is a beautiful peat bog in Saco called the Saco Heath. It is protected so won't help with you wanting to harvest it but it is a nice place to take a walk in the spring or fall. The mosquitos are brutal in the summer. That is all the info I have and it is probably more than you need but it is snowing to beat the band and there is not much else to do. Have a great day.