Category Archives: garden compost & composting

Deep Green Gardening

Posted on April 1, 2013 by John Walker

The down-to-earth lessons of vegan-organic growing have the potential to make our gardens not just more productive, but more ethical and compassionate too. In this 4-page article republished courtesy of Grow It! magazine (Spring 2013), I look at what slaughterhouses have got … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, fossil fuels, garden compost & composting, green gardening, nature & the natural world, no-dig gardening, organic gardening, published articles, resilience, soil, vegan-organic gardening | Leave a comment

Cheat Your Wheelie Bin

Posted on March 15, 2013 by John Walker

Much of what goes into our ‘wheelie’ bins can be transformed into food for your soil. In this 3-page article republished courtesy of Grow It! magazine (March 2013), I explain how you can cheat on both your bin and your local landfill … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, food & kitchen gardening, garden compost & composting, green gardening, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles, recycling, renewable gardening, soil | 1 Comment

Grow Organic With Manchester’s Bud Garden Centre

Posted on November 7, 2012 by John Walker

One of the most engaging ‘twitterships’ that I’ve struck up in the flourishing world of gardening social media is my occasional exchanges with Brenda Smith, co-founder of Bud Garden Centre, in Burnage, Manchester (@BudGardenCentre). We share plenty in common, both … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, green gardening, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost | Leave a comment

Reporting on Garden Weedkiller Pollution is as Damaging as the Pollution Itself

Posted on October 30, 2012 by John Walker

Recent reporting on the threat of pollution by the weedkiller clopyralid leaves gardeners without the full facts about both peat-based and peat-free composts. By John Walker. Published on the Guardian‘s website, 27th September 2012 Twisted, buckled and puckered leaves, bulging … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, ethics, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, greenwash, media, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, pesticides in the garden, politics, pollution, published articles, soil, weedkiller residues | Leave a comment

Gardening’s Own Goal

Posted on October 12, 2012 by John Walker

Found in some lawn weedkillers, the chemical clopyralid is a ticking time bomb – but we could defuse it right now if we learnt from past mistakes. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 28th August 2012. Winner … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, environment, ethics, garden compost & composting, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, pesticides in the garden, politics, pollution, published articles, renewable gardening, soil, weedkiller residues | Leave a comment

Who Needs Peat?

Posted on September 3, 2012 by John Walker

Peat-free composts can grow plants just as well as peat-based, but with an added feel-good factor. In this 4-page article republished courtesy of Grow It! magazine (September 2012), I give tips and advice gleaned from my 2012 garden trial of … Continue reading →

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

Keep Calm and… Put Up a Greenhouse

Posted on July 26, 2012 by John Walker

It’s time to take cover: after another grey, sodden summer, the future for serious garden food growers looks a lot brighter under glass or plastic. By John Walker. Published on the Hartley Botanic website, 26th July 2012 Pale, drawn and … Continue reading →

Posted in climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, ethics, food & kitchen gardening, food miles, garden compost & composting, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles, rainwater harvesting, renewable gardening, vegan-organic gardening | 1 Comment

It’s Time To Have Your Peat-Free Say On ‘Towards Sustainable Growing Media’

Posted on July 19, 2012 by John Walker

The chair of the government’s Sustainable Growing Media Task Force (SGMTF), Dr Alan Knight, has now published his chair’s report and draft ‘road map’, Towards Sustainable Growing Media. You might well be wondering why we actually need a map, when a … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, ecological sustainability, environment, ethics, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, media, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, renewable gardening | 2 Comments

Greening Up Your Gardening

Posted on June 1, 2012 by John Walker

Rethinking the way you tend your garden will reap great environmental benefits and help to strengthen your relationship with the natural world. By John Walker. Published in Kew magazine, Summer 2012. When it comes to more eco-friendly living, insulating your … Continue reading →

Posted in carbon emissions, carbon footprint, climate change & global warming, climate- & earth-friendly gardening, eco gardening, ecological footprints, ecological sustainability, energy use, environment, food miles, fossil fuels, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost & composting, green gardening, greenwash, nature & the natural world, organic gardening, overconsumption, peat & peat-free compost, pesticides in the garden, published articles, rainwater harvesting, renewable gardening, soil | Leave a comment

Peat-Free Compost: A Buyer’s guide

Posted on May 3, 2012 by John Walker

Having tested more peat-free composts than I could shake a beanpole at, in this article, republished courtesy of Kitchen Garden magazine (June 2012), I recommend my top six peat-frees for the 2012 sowing and growing season. You can read the original 3-page … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, garden centres & gardening industry, garden compost, garden compost & composting, organic gardening, peat & peat-free compost, published articles | Leave a comment