Soil-Net logo
Soil-Net We dig soil!

Cranfield University

  • Home
  • Soil Science
  • Case Studies
  • Activities
  • Photo Library
  • About
  • Home
  • Introduction
    • What is soil?
    • Why does soil matter?
    • Soil under the microscope
    • Recognising types of soil
    • Weathering and soil formation
    • Properties of soil
    • Soil character
    • pH and soil acidity
    • How do soils form?
    • Why do soils differ?
    • Soil as a living being
    • Plants and soils
    • The beginning of soil
  • Global Cycles
    • The oxygen cycle
    • The nitrogen cycle
    • The carbon cycle
    • The nutrient cycles
    • The hydrological cycle
  • Soil Functions
    • Farming and food production
    • Forestry
    • Ecology
    • Soils and Water
    • Land reclamation
    • Soils and infrastructure
    • Soils and archaeology
    • Soils and climate change
    • Soils and health
    • Land quality and planning
    • Soils and gardening
  • Ecosystem Services
    • Provisioning services
    • Regulating services
    • Cultural services
    • Supporting services
    • Ecosystem services - Quiz
  • Soils on Earth
    • Soils of Britain
    • Soils of the World
  • Threats to Soil
    • Soil erosion
    • Desertification
    • Acid rain
    • Fertilisers
    • Pollutants
    • Deforestation
    • Impacts on biodiversity
    • Climate change
    • Salinisation
    • Loss of organic matter
    • Acidification
    • Compaction
    • Building on soil
  • Future Concerns
    • Population and food
    • Population and infrastructure
    • Climate change impact on soils
    • Soil quality and sustainability
    • Managing water resources
    • Food safety and health
    • Waste disposal
    • Loss of biodiversity
  • What Else?
    • Soil activities
    • Soil careers
    • Soil datasets
    • Glossary A-L
    • Glossary M-Z
  • Case Studies
    • Farming and food production
    • Forestry
    • Ecology
    • Soils and water
    • Land reclamation
    • Soils and infrastructure
    • Soils and archaeology
    • Soils and literature
    • Soils and climate change
    • Soils and health
    • Land quality and planning
    • Soils and gardening
    • Threats to soil
    • Properties of soil
    • Techniques and technologies
  • Activities
    • Activity sheets
    • Desktop images
    • School garden
    • Soil Walks
    • Terrain Builder
    • Eco-Lifestyle Quiz
    • SoilScapes Viewer
    • Whose Poos?
    • Whose Clues?
    • Wormery
    • Mushrooms
    • Primary offline files
  • Photo Library
  • Teachers
    • KS 1 and 2
    • KS 3
    • KS 4
    • Resources
    • Evaluation
  • About
    • Help
    • New to Soil-Net?
    • Contacts
    • Copyright
    • Credits
    • Feedback
    • Links
    • Donations
  • Peat-free gardening
  • Benefits of peat-free compost
  • Improving garden soils
  • Grow a Pumpkin for Halloween
  • Gardening with raised beds
  • Soil recipes

Benefits of peat-free compost

Many thanks go to CompostDirect (www.compostdirect.com) for permission to use this infographic. Materials designed by mediaworks (www.mediaworks.co.uk)

We read every message — thank you for helping improve Soil-Net.

Thank you — your feedback has been noted.

© 2026 Cranfield University. Soil-Net® is a registered trademark.

soil-net@cranfield.ac.uk