with “seed saving”
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 …
A lot of people still follow so-called traditional advice of ‘bedding the garden’ down for winter. This normally entails meticulously pulling out dead or spent crops and digging the ground over to expose it to the elements which is recommended as being ‘good ‘for the soil. It’s actually a terrible, I repeat terrible thing to do on so many levels. …
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 …
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 …
I’ve already looked at the easiest contenders in part 1 and how to save seed from the likes of pea, tomato, pepper, lettuce and bean but what about other edibles? I remember when I first got into seed saving for my Guardian gardening blog a few years back, the funny reaction I got from some when I mentioned I was …