Category Archives: published articles

The Carbon Conundrum

Posted on December 4, 2011 by John Walker

There’s a hands-on horticultural way to mitigate climate change – but it will only make a real difference if our gardens aren’t also part of the problem. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 4th December 2011. Something … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, energy use, environment, garden compost & composting, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles, renewable gardening, soil | Leave a comment

Considerate Cultivation: Running Your Garden on Truly Renewable Fuels

Posted on October 21, 2011 by John Walker

Going peat-free is all-important in an earth-friendly garden, but there’s more: the compost you use needs to be a truly renewable fuel. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 21st October 2011. Coaxing a steep, bracken-riddled bank of acidic, nutrient-poor … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, environment, garden compost & composting, gardening footprint, green gardening, greenwash, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles, renewable gardening | 2 Comments

Bring Me Sunshine: The Power Behind Renewable Gardening

Posted on September 15, 2011 by John Walker

Using a greenhouse to grow your own food will make your garden greener and help trim your ‘ecological footprint’ – but only if you tap into the right kind of sunshine. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 23rd September … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological footprints, energy use, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, fossil fuels, gardening footprint, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, pollution, published articles, renewable gardening | Leave a comment

The Peat ‘Debate’ Does Us All Harm

Posted on June 14, 2011 by John Walker

The belief that by using peat compost we can benefit nature keeps us disconnected from the natural world. By John Walker. Published in Garden News, 14th June 2011. Of all the harebrained excuses I’ve seen bandied around for the continued … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, environment, ethics, garden centres & gardening industry, nature & the natural world, peat & peat-free compost, published articles | Leave a comment

Always Ask Questions

Posted on December 15, 2010 by John Walker

To turn gardening greener, we all need to start joining up the dots. Let’s make a start by getting dumbfounded manufacturers falling off their seats. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, December 2010. Although I don’t normally make a … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, ecological sustainability, environment, garden centres & gardening industry, organic gardening, plastic, published articles, recycling | Leave a comment

Compost Crisis

Posted on November 15, 2010 by John Walker

Climate-friendly peat-free composts aren’t taking their place at the heart of more eco-savvy gardening because we’re not yet paying enough for them. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, November 2010. When well-known gardening pundits start proclaiming just how ‘awful’ … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, ecological sustainability, food & kitchen gardening, fossil fuels, garden centres & gardening industry, greenwash, media, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles | 1 Comment

Drought of Good Sense

Posted on September 15, 2010 by John Walker

Are gardeners really the ‘victims’ when hosepipe bans are announced – or are we just the unwitting pawns of a gardening industry running dry on ecological consciousness? By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, September 2010. Victimised, threatened and dealt … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, container gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, food & kitchen gardening, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, greenwash, organic gardening, published articles, rainwater harvesting, soil, water & 'water footprints' | Leave a comment

Kicking the Habit

Posted on August 15, 2010 by John Walker

Oil spills and their impact on our planet’s ecology might seem faraway and remote, but one way of helping prevent them lies closer than you might think. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, August 2010. Winner of the Garden … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, ecological sustainability, fossil fuels, gardening footprint, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, plastic, pollution, published articles | Leave a comment

Gardening on the Road

Posted on July 15, 2010 by John Walker

Our growing mania for having ‘one click’ gardens delivered in boxes is adding to the mounting pressures on the increasingly fragile world around us. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, July 2010. There’s quite a singalong going on outside … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, energy use, food & kitchen gardening, garden centres & gardening industry, gardening footprint, mail order, nature & the natural world, overconsumption, packaging, pollution, published articles, tv gardening & celebrities | Leave a comment

The Peat Delusion

Posted on June 15, 2010 by John Walker

As gardening spin urges us to keep buying peat compost, science is telling us that the safest place for peat is in the ground. By John Walker. Published in Kitchen Garden, June 2010. “If you are concerned about green issues, … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, environment, ethics, fossil fuels, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, greenwash, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles | Leave a comment