 Friday, March 21, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (3 comments)
Most gardeners would agree that we have seen some rather odd climate changes in recent years and many would put that down to the impending threat of global warming. Scientists estimate that the world has seen an average increase of only 0.8 degrees Celcius and that much more is to come unless drastic action to cut greenhouse gas emissions is taken on a global scale. Even if we cut emissions, more warming will occur as the oceans form a great heat reservoir that delays the effect of the greenhouse gases that are being emitted today. So what has this all got to do with gardening? Read more...
Categories: gardening climate-change permaculture |
Friday, March 14, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (18 comments)
Potting compost is vital to starting off vegetable seedlings early and is something that nearly all gardeners buy. Yes, in theory you can make your own by sieving and sterilising your home-made compost and then mixing it with sand and some moisture-retaining ingredients. But few of us have the time or equipment to do so. So each year we buy millions of bags of potting compost without really knowing what goes into the bag. This week I set out to find out... Read more...
Categories: organic gardening seeds compost |
Friday, March 07, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (0 comments)
Yesterday the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) launched its ‘Grow Your Own Veg’ 2008 campaign. This year they are focusing on getting people to grow their own, even if they start as small as a container or window-box. They are also highlighting the economies of home-grown produce, claiming that over a working lifetime the average person who buys lunch could save £38,000 (US$76,000) by growing their own healthy version. So, with such a positive remit, why have I got reservations about the campaign…? Read more...
Categories: organic gardening |
Friday, February 29, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (12 comments)
Last week I blogged about how my perception of permaculture was challenged when I took another look at it. Rather than being a complex system for self-sufficient rural types, I was surprised to find how applicable it was to the average home garden. So this week I thought I would turn my attention to some of the practical implications of taking a permaculture approach to your own vegetable patch... Read more...
Categories: permaculture vegetables gardening |
Friday, February 22, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (4 comments)
I have always been a bit of an idealist at heart. I suppose I just like to have a theory to explain what I experience. Give me a book on how things ‘should be’ and I’ll enjoy reading it and then debating the relative merits of the ideas. So when two friends of mine recently recommended that I take another look at permaculture I was certainly up for it. Previously I had thought of permaculture as a growing method for the really committed self-sufficient radical. What I discovered was something far more accessible and wide-ranging in application... Read more...
Categories: gardening permaculture organic |
Friday, February 08, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (8 comments)
This week I was asked about whether we could incorporate perennials into GrowVeg.com garden plans, so that they stayed in position for the next year. It’s definitely something we would like to do and it set me thinking about the value of these plants on a vegetable plot. It turns out that there is a growing movement extolling the benefits of growing perennial plants for food. After all, perennials were once a much greater part of our ancestors’ diets and they are great for the land since they don’t involve all the soil disturbance (and hence erosion) associated with agriculture. But are they really that viable for the home gardener? Read more...
Categories: gardening vegetables fruit |
Friday, February 01, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (5 comments)
Done your seed order but still feel it’s a bit too early to start sowing indoors? Too cold, wet and downright miserable to go and garden outside? Then a good dose of garden web-browsing could be just what you need! At least, that’s my excuse, so this week I thought I’d do a round-up of the best gardening websites I use. That’s after GrowVeg.com of course! Read more...
Categories: gardening websites |
Friday, January 11, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (0 comments)
‘Make a Windowsill Salad Farm’ proclaimed the alluring headline of the gardening magazine that dropped through my letterbox in November. And I have to say I was taken in, despite the voice of reason in my head … Yes, I sowed two trays of seeds just before Christmas to get that summer salad taste. So how did it perform...? Read more...
Categories: gardening indoor |
Thursday, January 03, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (3 comments)
I always make new year’s resolutions but I can rarely remember them by the next month, let alone the next year, which must say something about how seriously I take them. However, I usually have little goals or projects for each area of my life: work, home, leisure and ... gardening. It seems that I’m not alone. Numerous ‘eco charities’ try to grab headlines with their suggested resolutions for a greener lifestyle such as Friends of the Earth’s list from last year and, not surprisingly, taking up gardening is one of the top recommendations. So what are my gardening resolutions...? Read more...
Categories: gardening |
Friday, December 28, 2007 by Jeremy Dore (0 comments)
After the rush of Christmas, there are two things that arrive in the letterbox in my household: travel brochures and seed catalogues. Now these may seem like unrelated items but I think there are strong parallels between the two. Both offer glossy photographs of an idealised result from your purchase, both have beautifully composed write-ups about the benefits of choosing their offerings and such escapism is particularly attractive on dismal wet January days! Of course, there are many types of travel brochure – and gardener – which set me thinking about similarities with where I get seed from... Read more...
Categories: gardening seeds |