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London goes bananas

4. September 2011

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London goes bananas

  London has enjoyed humid temperatures into the high 20c for the past few days and I have noticed how many nurseries  seem to be selling banana plants as a late Autumn addition to the garden. These are great for creating architectural shapes at a time when most herbaceous borders are struggling at the end of […]

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Bright Farms for the future

4. September 2011

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Bright Farms is an innovative US company that designs, finances, builds and operates hydroponic greenhouse farms at supermarkets, eliminating time, distance and cost from the food supply chain. Food production is now the largest consumer of land and water resources on our planet and accounts for 20% of the worlds carbon emissions. Watch their clever video […]

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How will your garden grow in 2050?

4. September 2011

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How will your garden grow in 2050?

One of the most confusing things for gardeners about climate change is the uncertainty of what is actually going to happen with the weather. The biggest challenge likely to face gardeners everywhere is water management as rainfall is likely to fall by around one fifth by the middle of the century, leading to an increased […]

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Landshare goes global

3. September 2011

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Following on from my last post I thought I should mention that it is not just inthe UK where Landshare is helping individuals connect with land available for growing your own fruit and veg. There is now a website for Australia http://www.landshareaustralia.com.au/ and ideas for creating one in New Zealand and hopefully other countries too http://www.landshare.net/users/madkiwi/blog/lets-make-landshare-global/

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Landshare growing fast

2. September 2011

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Landshare growing fast

Landshare was set up by River Cottage in 2009 to bring together people with a passion for home grown food, connecting those who have land to share with those who need land for cultivating food. Since its launch, it has grown into a thriving community with over 60,000 members and helps people to get growing in many ways. […]

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Canna warm London September days

1. September 2011

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Canna warm London September days

Great to see these beautiful cannas radiating a fabulous glow in Russell Square on this warm 1st September day in London. Cannas grown in the UK are  are normally at their best  at this time of year and can provide a truly exotic look in one season as they grow very fast if fed and watered well.They do need consistent full sun to fully develop […]

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Sir David Attenborough reflects on climate change

30. August 2011

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Sir David Attenborough has used his skill as a broadcaster to clearly show some key facts about climate change in this short video. It may not contain all the evidence of his usual hour long documentaies but the fact that such a great man has put his name to this piece of film on You Tube suggests to me that he wants to make sure we […]

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River Cottage Veg Every Day

29. August 2011

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Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, my favourite culinary guru and renowned grow your own advocate, is launching a new book that encourages vegetable eating. He confirms that this is not just good for our bodies but also much better for the planet: “How can we eat really well every day without contributing to global warming, the suffering of animals or the […]

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Climate change trees

28. August 2011

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 An experiment is under way to find the garden trees of the future, able to withstand the extremes of weather brought about by climate change and potentially replace any of today’s garden favourites which may not survive.These beautiful trees on Hampstead Heath in London have provided a shady place to sit and ponder the beauty […]

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I don’t dig peat

27. August 2011

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The Ecologist Magazine has launched a website at www.idontdigpeat.org.uk to encourage gardeners to take action now and make the ‘Peat-Free Promise’. They are using the site to educate people on how to garden successfully without peat, and visitors can access a whole host of information about peat-free alternatives, such as leaf mould and composted bark, and simple peat-free compost […]

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