Info, news & debate
Plants
How to start a small garden in your apartment (Part 1)
Living in an urban flat with no access to outdoor space and yearn for greenery? Our friends at Ethical.net have got it covered with their guide to how to start a small garden in your apartment.
October forage of the month with Ruby Taylor
Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for October with a delicious fruit leather recipe we can’t wait to try…
How to make wood fire baked sweet chestnut bread
As autumn draws in, sweet chestnut season is soon approaching. Bushcraft teacher David Willis shares how he bakes tasty roasted sweet chestnut bread on an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven.
How to store apples over the winter: a brief guide
You’ve picked your apples but what to do now? Learn how to make the best of the harvest with Nick Mann’s brief guide to how to store apples over the winter.
Turn your grapes into wine with help from OrganicLea
It’s that time of year again when the fab folks at OrganicLea invite grape-growing Londoners to join their community wine-making scheme. It’s over to Craig to tell us more, with a useful guide to harvesting grapes to boot.
Low-impact & the city 13: How to get lots of fruit from a small garden with no work
I’m too busy to have a vegetable garden. I don’t have the mental energy to think about when it’s time to buy seeds, to plant them, water them, prick them out into pots, dig the garden, plant them, and then continue to water them, weed them and harvest them.
Get the Good Food March 2019 in the diary – pots and pans at the ready!
The Landworkers’ Alliance will be joining a host of partners to put farming, food and climate justice centre stage this October. Here’s how you can join them on the Good Food March 2019 in London.
Biochar on trial: what scientific research tells us so far
Working wonders or potentially harmful? Dr Andrew Rollinson examines the scientific research surrounding biochar to date, including his own personal experiments.
Alternatives to single-use plastic in mushroom growing
Benedict Noel of The Mushroom Guide shares his tried and tested alternatives to single use plastic in mushroom growing.
The Mushroom Guide Part 9: working with agar cultures
A jellylike substance derived from seaweed, Benedict Noel sets out the role of agar cultures in Part 9 of his Mushroom Guide.
The Mushroom Guide Part 8: working with liquid mushroom cultures
We learn how to work with liquid mushroom cultures as The Mushroom Guide with Benedict Noel continues.
The Mushroom Guide Part 7: preparing mushroom spawn (2)
Mushroom grower extraordinaire Benedict Noel explains how to prepare mushroom spawn using a pressure cooker, as his Mushroom Guide series continues.
The Mushroom Guide Part 6: preparing mushroom spawn
Benedict Noel shares how to scale up your mushroom production, preparing mushroom spawn using grain to then inoculate sawdust bags.
The Mushroom Guide Part 5: inoculating fruiting substrate
Inoculating fruiting substrate: sounds a little daunting, no? Fear not – Benedict Noel explains all in Part 5 of his Mushroom Guide for beginners keen to grow their own shiitake mushrooms.
You’re invited to the Ecological Land Cooperative AGM 2019
Taking place in Arlington, East Sussex, on 29th June 2019, the Ecological Land Cooperative AGM 2019 is your chance to learn more about their important work – and check out their brand new barn! Lauren Simpson tells us more.
The Mushroom Guide Part 4: preparing fruiting substrate for shiitake mushrooms
In Part 4 of The Mushroom Guide with Benedict Noel, learn how to create your own bags of fruiting substrate for shiitake mushrooms, using sawdust, bran and a pressure cooker.
Fancy joining the Pentiddy Woods family on an immersive 9 month internship?
Here’s your chance! We hear from Ele and Anthony at Pentiddy Woods about a unique learning opportunity on offer from October 2019.
The Mushroom Guide Part 3: harvesting shiitake mushroom blocks
In Part 3 of The Mushroom Guide, Benedict Noel enjoys the fruits of his labour harvesting shiitake mushroom blocks, as he continues his step-by-step tutorial.
The Mushroom Guide Part 2: fruiting shiitake mushroom blocks
We learn how to fruit shiitake mushroom blocks with Benedict Noel of The Mushroom Guide. It’s possible to grow shiitake mushrooms with very little equipment. If you’re a novice, this is the best place to start.
Be part of a living, working countryside: apply for a small farm lease with the Ecological Land Cooperative
We hear from the Ecological Land Cooperative about exciting opportunities ahead for aspiring ecological farmers to apply for a small farm lease.