Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2024·Germany

On the irrelevance of (peat-free) substrates - Qualitative insights into the social practices of hobby gardeners in Germany

Holger Braun, Dorothee Apfel, Benedikt Rilling, Carsten Herbes

Cleaner and Responsible Consumption

Urban Farm DB summary

A study with 44 hobby gardeners in Germany found that substrates are not a major part of gardeners' social interactions, and price is the dominant purchase criterion for substrates, with sustainability not playing an important role. Although basic knowledge about peat is widespread, purchasing substrates is a utility-driven process with mostly passive information behavior.