I’ve been gardening without spending very much at all for years now and what started out as an experiment for my Guardian gardening blog , became over time simply what I do. For me it’s as much about the enjoyment I get from making better use of what I already have around me, as the actual money saving itself. Like a lot …
HOW TO MAKE LOVELY CRUMBLY COMPOST – go on you know you want to
What’s not to love about the ability to turn much of your kitchen waste into fantastic black gold for your fruit and vegetables? Okay, I’ll admit; the idea of a big pile of slowly rotting household waste may not immediately grab you as being a) at all glamorous or indeed b) practical unless you have a lot of space. Yet …
INCREDIBLE EDIBLE DUNSTABLE
A few years back (and inspired by the community growing initiative in Todmorden), Sahira Ward decided to approach her local council to see what could be done along these lines in her area. Since then, working with friends, family and neighbours, she has gone on to transform a plot of former waste ground at the top of her road into …
EMBRACE THE COLD with a lovely warming stew
So it’s almost May but looking outside you wouldn’t know it. This week we’ve had snow, hail and a severe chill that has made the prospect of summer seem all that much further away. Yes it’s annoying but rather than getting down in the dumps about it all I suggest embracing the cold with a lovely hearty meal. We …
THE COUPLE WALKING THEIR WAY TO FREEDOM
Benedict Beaumont on quitting teaching and the mundane for a life of adventure. Walking. It’s something we all do. Something we hardly ever think about. Maybe after the Christmas binge, when we are still in the first flush of commitment to, let’s face it, unsustainable New Year’s resolutions, we might decide to walk up the stairs rather than catch a …
THE BEST GARDENING CHEATS – SUPERMARKET VEG
I’m all for growing pretty much everything from seed, or taking cuttings wherever i can but sometimes i’ll slip a cheeky cheat or two into the gardening mix. Now is actually a great time to undertake some growing adventures with leftover materials from your weekly food shop. Of course conventional advice often dictates that this produce cannot and should not …
KEENO GROWS – taking on a ‘mad’ gardening challenge
Intrepid trainee gardener Luke Keeno writes for us about his rather exciting (and equally slightly terrifying) project to create a beautiful flowerbed for Bristol Victoria Park this year. Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you ask yourself “Oh my god, what have I agreed to do? I’ll never be able to do that, I’m in way …
SEASONAL EATS from Troed y Rhiw Organics
Pizza night This blog is the first in a series on easy, hearty seasonal food. …
PARTY PLANNING – keep calm and carry on cooking
Mental health campaigner, Amber (aka Budget Jones) follows up her last blog for us by writing about the trials, tribulations and eventual successes of organising a family get together on a budget… As a Jones, it may not surprise you that I have a rather large family (my dad alone has 29 first cousins). So when one of our lot …
GROW OCA AND GET INVOLVED IN A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
We (at the Guild of Ocabreeders) are a group of scientists, farmers and gardeners working together on a plant breeding project designed to increase food security. The original idea for the project came from Dr. Owen Glyn Smith; better known as Rhizowen. His blog Radix has been a focus for a lot of people working with new and unusual roots …