Category Archives: allotments

Forget FITs – Roll Out Some Gardening GITs!

Posted on March 15, 2012 by John Walker

High-tech sunshine harvesting is all very well if you can afford it, but there’s an easier and more earth-friendly way to turn sunlight into energy that’s right outside your back door. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological footprints, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, food miles, fossil fuels, gardening footprint, green gardening, organic gardening, packaging, peak oil, published articles, renewable gardening, resilience, transition | Leave a comment

Modified New World

Posted on February 15, 2012 by John Walker

Letting the GM genie out of its biotech bottle hasn’t just changed day-to-day life on our allotments, it’s itching to take over control of life itself. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 15th February 2012. They’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, eco gardening, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, genetically modified (GM) crops, glyphosate, green gardening, greenwash, media, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, pesticides in the garden, published articles | Leave a comment

Resilience Gardening

Posted on February 15, 2010 by John Walker

Having a year-round supply of fresh food from your plot ought to help in weathering any knocks to ‘normal life’, but reality could be quite different. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, February 2010. Barbed wire and baseball bats … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, fossil fuels, organic gardening, peak oil, published articles, resilience, transition | Leave a comment

Discomfort Zone

Posted on October 15, 2009 by John Walker

Is getting us to leave our ‘comfort zones’ for a hug-in really the best way to cultivate self-reliance and cut carbon emissions? By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, October 2009. My last garden was a thin, narrow strip, typical … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon emissions, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, food & kitchen gardening, green gardening, permaculture, published articles, tv gardening & celebrities | Leave a comment

Drinking the Blues

Posted on September 15, 2009 by John Walker

As concern grows over the pollution of drinking water by metaldehyde slug pellets, what role are pellet-happy gardeners playing, and why aren’t our gardening media mentioning it? By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, September 2009. What’s a quick way … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, eco gardening, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, garden centres & gardening industry, gardening footprint, green gardening, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, pesticides in the garden, pollution, published articles, renewable gardening, soil, water & 'water footprints', weedkiller residues | Leave a comment

New Sárpo ‘Superspud’ Varieties Point the Way Toward Low-Carbon Gardening

Posted on August 24, 2009 by John Walker

Exceptional resistance to late potato blight and virus diseases, high yields, even in poor soils, weed-smothering tops (haulms), drought resistance, and a long storage period. What more could you ask of the humble spud? By John Walker. Published on Landscape … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, blight-resistant 'sárpo' potatoes, carbon footprint, ecological footprints, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, fossil fuels, organic gardening, pesticides in the garden, published articles | Leave a comment

How Many Apples?

Posted on March 15, 2009 by John Walker

Becoming ‘food secure’ and curtailing climate change by growing our own makes a great sound bite, but where is the evidence to back it up? By John Walker. Published in Organic Garden & Home, March 2009. An apple a day … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, food & kitchen gardening, food miles, fossil fuels, mail order, media, organic gardening, peak oil, pesticides in the garden, published articles, resilience | Leave a comment

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

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

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