Flowerdew, writing in Amateur Gardening, said: "It's the 'banning' of this compost that upsets me. The scientists who spent much time and effort discovering the optimum formula for sowing comost were very methodical. They compared a host of amateur and proprietary mixes to finally come up witht he John Innes formula. And so far, in all my trials, I have found no other compost to be anywhere near as reliable for turning seeds into healthy, robust seedlings.
"So I have a small radical suggestion. Would all those protesters wishing to reduce peat usage please remember that no matter how slow it can regenerate - allegedly only an inch or so a century - with the thousands of acres available, this does gradually become a renewable resource, just like a forest.
"So why not let us have a regime for peat sourced from managed and sustainable sites, like the FSC certification for sustainably-sourced hardwood timber?"
Friends of the Earth and Garden Organic said that as an organic grower, Flowerdew should promote peat alternatives.
Bob Flowerdew calls for peat licensing scheme, not ban
BBC Gardeners' Question Time expert Bob Flowerdew has suggested a licensing regime for peat sourced from sustainable sites, in a move that has angered anti-peat use campaigners.
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