Author Archives: John Walker

Waste of Space

Posted on March 15, 2008 by John Walker

As new research describes areas of the UK as ‘food deserts’, it’s time to pull down the garden fence and turn unproductive, resource-hungry urban ‘green spaces’ into edible havens. By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, March 2008. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, green gardening, organic gardening, politics, published articles, resilience, transition | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Books

Posted on February 15, 2008 by John Walker

Two new titles, both claiming to show us how to garden in more planet-friendly ways, while helping to curb climate change, prove that you can never judge a book by its cover. By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, February … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, ethics, gardening footprint, green gardening, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, published articles | Leave a comment

Turning Off the Tap

Posted on February 1, 2008 by John Walker

 ‘Peak oil’, when global oil supplies begin to enter terminal decline, is a matter of when, not if. So when can we expect a transition away from oil-hungry organic gardening? By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, Winter 2008. Just … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, fossil fuels, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, organic gardening, peak oil, pesticides in the garden, resilience, transition | 1 Comment

Plots for a Future

Posted on January 15, 2008 by John Walker

I’m spending two days a week growing my own food – and being paid to do it. It’s all part of the Home Growing Act. And, by the way, it’s 2027. Read on… By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, environment, food & kitchen gardening, food miles, fossil fuels, garden compost & composting, open gardens, organic gardening, pesticides in the garden, politics, published articles, resilience, transition | Leave a comment

Carbon Positive

Posted on December 15, 2007 by John Walker

Calculating the ‘carbon footprint’ of individual products is becoming all the rage. In search of a carbon-neutral garden, what about applying the concept to our plants? By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, December 2007. Is your garden costing the … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, energy use, environment, gardening footprint, organic gardening, packaging, published articles | Leave a comment

The Fight Against Blight

Posted on December 15, 2007 by John Walker

I report from the potato blight front-line, and ask whether the remarkable ‘Sárpo’ varieties might soon be the only spuds worth growing. By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, December 2007. Is there a rather unpleasant whiff coming from your … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, blight-resistant 'sárpo' potatoes, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, environment, food & kitchen gardening, green gardening, organic gardening, published articles | 6 Comments

Don’t Look Back

Posted on November 15, 2007 by John Walker

As climate scientists find a ‘human fingerprint’ in extreme rainfall events, and warn that the past is no longer a guide to the future,  how will organic gardeners fare in an unpredictable climate? By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, gardening footprint, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, pollution, published articles | Leave a comment

Centres For the Earth

Posted on October 15, 2007 by John Walker

As supermarkets eye up the ‘green pound’, what we need is not a monoculture of ‘Tescoised’ garden centres but local, diverse and distinctive earth centres. By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, October 2007. By the time you read this, … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, energy use, environment, ethics, garden centres & gardening industry, gardening footprint, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, overconsumption, published articles, recycling, resilience, retail monoculture, transition | 1 Comment

Just a Bit of Veg?

Posted on September 15, 2007 by John Walker

Our gardens can tick most of the boxes needed to achieve the much-vaunted ‘low carbon’ life. I explain how my own patch is at the heart of my plan for lighter living. By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, September … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon footprint, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, environment, food & kitchen gardening, food miles, fossil fuels, garden compost & composting, gardening footprint, good life, green gardening, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, published articles, resilience, soil, vegan-organic gardening | Leave a comment

Intensive Care

Posted on August 15, 2007 by John Walker

As weather patterns shift and water supplies dwindle, can we sustain the container gardening craze in its present form? By John Walker. Published in Organic Gardening, August 2007. Love them or loathe them, there’s something mesmerising about those TV dramas … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, container gardening, easy gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, ethics, gardening footprint, green gardening, organic gardening, overconsumption, peat & peat-free compost, pesticides in the garden, published articles, rainwater harvesting, soil, tv gardening & celebrities, water & 'water footprints' | Leave a comment