 Friday, December 18, 2009 by Barbara Pleasant (0 comments)
When snap peas were introduced to the modern gardening world in 1979, some folks were impressed enough to predict that they would one day rival tomatoes in garden popularity. This hasn’t happened, but most American gardeners do favor snap peas over traditional shell peas (English peas) or snow peas (the latter are called mangetouts in Europe, which is French for “eat the whole thing”). The reason for snap peas’ popularity is all about productivity. You can feed four people with one pound (450 grams) of snap peas, but you will need to shell out twice as many shell pea pods to obtain four nice servings. Delicate snow peas (mangetouts) fall somewhere in between. Read more...
Categories: Gardening, peas |
 Friday, December 11, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (15 comments)
'You are cordially invited to a free lunch for up to 5000 people' reads the headline on the website Feeding the 5000. On December 16th 2009, campaigners are going to turn several tonnes of ‘unwanted' fruit, vegetables and farm produce into a spectacular lunch of soup for passersby in London's Trafalgar Square. The aim is to highlight the unbelievable waste of food in affluent countries. We live in a society that has largely become disconnected from the land that sustains us and I believe that gardeners have a role to play in reversing this alarming trend. Read more...
Categories: gardening campaign waste |
Friday, December 04, 2009 by Barbara Pleasant (6 comments)
Ornamental shrubs enhance a landscape with their textures and colors, season after season, and blueberries can work similar wonders in an edible landscape. Native to moist, acid soils in North America, various types of blueberries have been improved to the point where some type of blueberry can be grown in almost any garden. In addition to producing delicious berries that can make you healthier and smarter, blueberries look good in every season of the year. Spring flowers give way to clusters of purple berries in summer, and the leaves turn bright red in the fall. In late winter, the twigs often turn shades of red and purple, bringing subtle color to a snow-covered garden... Read more...
Categories: Gardening perennials blueberries |
Friday, November 27, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (2 comments)
Gardeners are, by and large, quite practical types and few of us like to receive gifts that we know will just sit on a shelf somewhere. Yet, buying the perfect gift for a gardener can be quite a challenge for friends and relatives who don’t garden themselves. With that in mind, here’s my guide to the ‘gardener’s most wanted’ gifts this year. Send a link to anyone you know who might be struggling to buy for you this season, or add your own ideas for great gifts as a comment... Read more...
Categories: gardening gifts |
Friday, November 20, 2009 by Barbara Pleasant (8 comments)
One of the most popular kitchen herbs in the world, rosemary is one of the first perennials herbs added to most vegetable gardens. Rosemary can grow into head-high bushes where winters are mild, but temperatures below 15 to 20°F (-6 to -9°C) can kill the plants. But cold is not the only problem a rosemary-loving gardener is likely to have. Five species of powdery mildew are known enemies of rosemary, particularly plants that are kept indoors. In addition, deceivingly beautiful rosemary beetles are surprising gardeners in the UK with their herb-hungry appetites. Read more...
Categories: gardening herbs |
Friday, November 13, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (7 comments)
Mint has gained a poor reputation amongst many gardeners. The mere mention of it will bring forth warnings about how invasive and weed-like it can be, choking out all other plants and herbs in the vicinity. Yet I find it hard to hate this delicious herb and, by following a few sensible precautions, it can easily be grown well with a range of uses in the kitchen... Read more...
Categories: gardening organic herb mint |
Friday, November 06, 2009 by Barbara Pleasant (10 comments)
Just when you think the gardening year is over, it's time to plant garlic. The most flavorful member of the onion family is always the last veggie to go into the ground, because garlic cloves start their life cycle by developing roots in cold soil. Then, after at least two months of chilling, the little slivers of green that barely poked up their heads all winter will take off like green rockets. By summer, each little clove will grow into a 3-foot tall plant anchored by a beautiful bulb, ready to dig and cure. Read more...
Categories: organic gardening vegetables garlic |
Friday, October 30, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (8 comments)
Livestock agriculture contributes 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This fact was thrust into the media’s attention earlier this week when Lord Stern, the author of the influential Stern Review on the costs of tackling global warming, declared that people will need to reduce their consumption of meat if we are to take climate change targets seriously. Whatever your views on this statement, it is clear that home-grown produce is the best source of food if we are to reduce our carbon footprint. Yet the question in many people’s minds is whether a plant-based diet can meet our nutritional requirements for protein? With less livestock would it be feasible to grow everything required for a well-balanced diet? Read more...
Categories: gardening organic grain |
Friday, October 23, 2009 by Barbara Pleasant (6 comments)
Fall is high season for making compost, the finest of all foods to feed your garden soil. Compost-worthy materials abound this time of year, so all you must do to make a batch is to pile up dead or dying plants, cool-season weeds, fruit and vegetable waste from your kitchen, and maybe some shredded leaves. Will such a simple project really make a difference in the performance of your veggies next year? You bet it will! Read more...
Categories: gardening composting |
Friday, October 16, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (7 comments)
One of my favourite parts of the gardening year is opening a new packet of seed and sowing them. Seeds represent so many garden aspirations and hold the promise of an abundant harvest. Yet, amazingly, recent tests in the UK have shown that up to 59% of packet seed is dead when you buy it, with no chance of ever germinating and producing a crop. Read more...
Categories: gardening seed germination |