Info, news & debate
Urban / small space gardening
25 dirt-cheap ways to garden organically and save money
Far from being an expensive or exclusive hobby, organic gardening is a brilliant way to buffer the cost-of-living crisis, allowing you to grow fresh, cheap and abundant food close to home, while at the same time nurturing nature.
8 amazing benefits from street trees
Read about the importance of street trees and one group’s mission to make sure their role in our life is recognised.
Are metal raised beds safe for vegetables?
With the growing season, we look at whether or not a metal raised bed is safe for vegetable growing?
Worried about fruit & veg rationing? Let’s grow our own, in our communities
Every so often something happens that punctures our sense of what’s normal. In the UK one of those events was empty shelves that used to display fruit and veg. Then supermarkets began rationing some food items.
Why gardening is such a great hobby for children
Why gardening can be a great hobby for children and how you can get started.
Designing your garden for extreme heat
Many perennials, shrubs and trees – particularly newly planted – are going to struggle in the kind of conditions we’re faced with as I write – record high temperatures after months of low rainfall. What can we do to help them?
How to start a community garden: Part 1
With the UK lockdown ongoing, many of us will be dreaming of days when we can once again be out and about and active in our local community. With this in mind, we share a series from Ethical.net exploring how to start a community garden.
Zero food miles, zero packaging and plenty more: in praise of allotments
Monday marked the beginning of National Allotments Week 2020, at a time when the number of prospective allotmenteers far exceeds the number of available allotments. So what do allotments have to offer that means so many of us are itching to get our hands dirty?
Keeping communities growing: how to get involved
With huge changes demanded by the Covid-19 pandemic, community gardens and growing spaces up and down the country are adapting to new realities. Here’s how you can support and get involved in their work to keep communities growing.
Small farms, land co-ops and farm housing: Chris Huskins of Fanfield Farm
Today I’m talking with Chris Huskins of Fanfield Farm – an Ecological Land Co-op plot – who is going to build his own house on his smallholding. He’s also trading using mutual credit, via the Open Credit Network.
A guide to composting: methods for composting indoors
Thought not having a garden meant there was little point in composting? Think again! Having covered the basics of composting in Part 1 of the series, Ethical.net take a look at different ways of composting indoors.
How to start a small garden in your apartment (Part 2)
Just what can you grow indoors? Plenty, it turns out. Ethical.net continue their guide to starting a small garden in your apartment. Catch up with Part 1 here.
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.
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.
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.
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.