with “Gardening”
I can remember feeling a bit embarrassed when I first got into gardening. You’d be forgiven from the reaction I got from some friends for thinking I’d decided to become a stamp collector, yodeller or Tory MP…
Yet, knowing you can grow at least some of your own food just by sticking a seed in some soil is one of the most empowering and life-affirming experiences out there. It’s also an incredibly easy, cheap (and fun) thing to do when you garden the badly behaved way…
Natural by design In a part extract from her Climate Change Garden book, Kim Stoddart explains why mixed planting offers a far more resilient alternative to block planted veg patch produce… What a year it’s been so far. As well as a pandemic lockdown to contend with, we’ve experienced a multifarious succession of weather extremes as the impact of climate …
Kim Stoddart explains how to take an edible walk on the wild side … Most of us are familiar with the saying that weeds are just plants in the wrong place. When you consider that some of these wild interlopers also happen to be edible, then it’s worth considering whether all need to be meticulously removed from your outside space …
Kim Stoddart takes a look at the ultimate in low maintenance planting for your veg patch… Whilst the process of nurturing plants and produce from seed is incredibly exciting each year, it takes time and effort in the process. As compared to hardy perennials, which once established will dutifully furnish you with edible loveliness for many seasons to come. In …
Kim Stoddart explains how a deep connection with the natural world has informed her life and that of those around her… For a period of weeks, nudging into months, I still recall clearly how I retreated during my lunch breaks at secondary school to a clearing nestled within the sanctuary of trees in a nearby park. The stillness, permeated only …
Kim Stoddart examines the grow your own phenomenon that has emerged as a result of fears around food security since the pandemic lockdown. In the days leading up to the restrictions (and ever since), there has been a sheer frenzy of interest in fruit and vegetable growing as people seek to turn over their back gardens, patios, windowsills (and indeed any available …
In this article which first appeared in the August issue of Grow Your Own magazine, Kim Stoddart explains how to reduce waste at this hugely productive time of year With this month and next, the veg patch will be in full glut fest swing. On the one hand, this fantastic bountiful time of year offers so much home-grown culinary …
This is a version of an article that appeared in my gardening column for Country Smallholding magazine in April. In certain permaculture circles it might be said that if something is damaging your plants, it’s less of a pest problem than a predator deficit. The idea being that in a balanced eco-system the likes of slugs, snails, aphids and weevils …
Kim Stoddart offers 2018 growing ideas to help beat the January blues Traditionally a time of year for looking ahead and detoxing after the excesses of the festive season, why not consider giving your veg patch a health makeover this year as well? Of course, home grown fruit and vegetables are good for you in themselves but there are some …
Kim Stoddart outlines the household items that can most easily be repaired When I’m feeling particularly disillusioned about the sorry state of the world, I find it helps to turn my attention to things that are within my power to fix. Potential money saving is only part of the picture because from an environmental perspective, the benefits of trying to …
How you can be in good company with a more free spirited approach to planting on your plot… Most gardening books will tell you about the importance of crop rotation ‘blah, blah, brassicas after legumes”… “waffle, waffle, potatoes first…” It’s a planting system that is undoubtedly sensible if a) you’re a market gardener and will be growing produce en masse or …