DIY ‘Peat-free’ signs for your allotment or garden, with Nick Moyes
Nick Moyes is passionate about peat-free gardening and has been growing ‘peat-free’ for over 20 years. We met on social media, got chatting, and decided to do some collaboration around Peat-Free Gardening. You can read about this below – and there are free signs to download too!
As well as a committed peat-free gardener, Nick is an incredibly interesting person. Did you know that, amongst his many achievements as a mountaineer and museum curator, Nick installed a peregrine falcon webcam on Derby Cathedral and co-authored The Flora of Derbyshire? But back to peat-free gardening which is what we are here for!
Nick is a new allotmenteer and told me he was struggling to find a ready-made sign to put on his plot to proudly show he doesn’t use peat products. “I wanted something to show people I’m growing ‘peat-free’, and maybe other allotment holders might be encouraged to display one too. It might even get more plot holders going peat-free”, he told me. “My Allotment Committee said they’d no idea if anyone grew ‘peat-free on our site – I was gobsmacked by that!”
So, with no commercially available signs, we decided to make our own! And that’s what we’ve done. They’re FREE for anyone to download , and you can find them below.
We’ve started off with just two signs. You’re can download, print and laminate (and even sell them, if you wish!) You can tweak the signs and pretty much do anything you like because we’ve released them under a Creative Commons Share Alike licence.*
Maybe you have a design you’d like to add to this page under the same licence? If so, please get in touch. Nick says he’d love to see an organisation like the RHS or The National Allotment Society picking up the baton and making proper, long-lasting signs for all peat-free gardeners. “But, until then, this’ll have to do!”
Nick’s Plot 55A proudly showing he is gardening peat-free on his allotment
Hints on printing and displaying
Signs on allotments get wet; oh, the joys of the British weather! So, you’ll need to laminate your sign to protect it from the elements. (Your Allotment Committee might be able to help with this).
We’ve prepared the download files with a white border (crop line) so that you can trim your printed sign before you laminate it. This means that, if you staple or pin your laminated sign to a gate or fence, the paper inside won’t get wet and go yukky.
Just trim, laminate and go!
For a larger sign, print in landscape mode and select ‘fit to paper’. Use portrait mode for a smaller version, and choose B&W mode if you think your printer colours might fade too easily.
Nick’s polytunnel on Plot 22A
Free Downloads
Download this sign:
Download this sign:
Get in touch!
We would love to see and hear how your sign goes down with your fellow plotholders. Has it encouraged anyone else to go peat-free? Have you met other peat-free gardeners on your site? Perhaps your allotment site is already completely peat free? Show us your sign on your plot. You can contact Nick on BlueSky via @nickmoyes.bsky.social and you can contact me Dr Deborah Burn via @allotmentnews.bsky.social
*Neither of us are graphic designers! If you are a talented designer and would like to help then please get in touch.
The downloadable files on this page are all available under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 licence, meaning you can use, modify and even sell these signs. But we’d prefer you to give them away to fellow plot-holders to encourage their use across allotment sites!