coopette.com - Alternative Kitchen Garden

Guerilla Gardening

emma — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:05:27 -0500

This week, Rachel is sharing her Big Sofa with Richard Reynolds – author of Guerilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries. They had a good old chat, over a cup of tea, about how he got started as a guerrilla gardener and why lavender is the perfect plant for guerrilla gardeners.

AKG071 - Ladybirds

emma — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:40:13 -0500

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The latest episode of the Alternative Kitchen Garden is on ladybirds – or ladybeetles – which are a real force for good in the garden. I’ve been finding out about our native ladybird species, but also about an invasive alien species that I’ve spotted in the garden. If you want to know what Harlequin ladybirds look like, or report a siting, then visit the website of the Harlequin Ladybird Survey.

You’ve been sending me emails on using tansy to repel whitefly, composting food waste in a food digester (check out Lisa’s Bokashi website) and courgettes.

There’s still a few days left if you want to listen to my appearance on Radio 4’s Go4It show, and if you haven’t already seen it then you might want to check out my article on useful weeds that appeared in the Guardian newspaper: No Hoe Zone.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter.

AKG Index

emma — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:22:06 -0500

2007

AKG001 Jerusalem artichokes

AKG002 Garlic

AKG003 Compost

AKG004 Indoor salads

AKG005 Sowing seeds

AKG006 Chard and leaf beet

AKG007 Comfrey

AKG008 Parsley

AKG009 Raised beds

AKG010 Nasturtiums

AKG011 Seedlings

AKG012 French beans

AKG013 The RISC Roof garden

AKG014 Water-wise gardening

AKG015 Courgettes/ zucchini

AKG016 Windowboxes

AKG017 June

AKG018 Oriental vegetables

AKG019 Sunflowers

AKG020 Welsh onions

AKG021 Peas and peashoots

AKG022 Lemon balm

AKG023 Seeds for late sowing

AKG024 Ryton Organic Gardens

AKG025 Armchair gardening

AKG026 Worm composting

AKG027 Green manures for fall

AKG028 Seed saving

AKG029 Pee

AKG030 Overwintering onions

AKG031 Sweetcorn

AKG032 Leaf mould

AKG033 Slugs

AKG034 A review of the season

AKG035 Broad (fava) beans

AKG036 Apple Day

AKG037 20 garden uses for a plastic bottle

AKG038 Pumpkins

AKG039 Mushrooms

AKG040 Cats in the garden

AKG041 Planting pips

AKG042 Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans

AKG043 Tiger nuts/ chufa

AKG044 Soil composition

AKG045 Herbs for tea

AKG046 2007 quiz

AKG047 A look back at 2007

2008

AKG048 Onions and shallots

AKG049 Grow Dome tour

AKG050 Seed swaps

AKG051 Cress

AKG052 Buying plants

AKG053 Garden planning

AKG054 Tomatoes

AKG055 Peppers

AKG056 Aubergines/ eggplants

AKG057 Sprouting broccoli

AKG058 Cold frames

AKG059 Weeds

AKG060 CAT Cold composting

AKG061 Potatoes

AKG062 Chickens

AKG063 Achocha

AKG064 Blueberries

AKG065 Grow your own fresh air

AKG066 Pest repellent plants

AKG067 Master Composters

AKG067 Bokashi

AKG068 June catch-up

AKG069 Winter crops

Download previous episodes in batches of 10.

Go4It and Penelope Bennet

emma — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:59:53 -0500

If you’re missing your regular dose of the AKG while I’m scribbling away at my book then you might be interested in the following.

On Sunday (Sun 13 Jul, 19:15 – 19:45) I’m making a guest appearance on the Radio 4 programme Go4It. I went to Dulwich on Monday and was grilled about fruit and vegetables by a group of school children with an allotment. And just so you know, the hour we spent recording outside was about the only dry hour in the day! If you can’t listen live then you’ll be able to catch the show via the website all next week.

And over at The Big Sofa, Rach has been lucky enough to interview one of my gardening heroes – Penelope Bennet, who wrote the book Windowbox Allotment. It’s an awesome book, encouraging people with the smallest spaces to start growing edible plants, and it’s fantastic to hear the author talking about her own garden in London.

AKG070 - Winter Crops

emma — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:56:42 -0500

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In this episode you can find out the exciting reason why recent AKG episodes haven’t been quite as regular as they could be, and why your garden knows that we’ve just passed the solstice – even if you don’t!

But the main focus of this episode is on planning for winter crops, especially for those people who have started to grow their own vegetables because they want to save money during the Credit Crunch and would like to make the most of their garden throughout the year.

You might also want to go back and listen to episode 23, on seeds for late sowing, or episode 18 on Oriental vegetables. And last year I wrote an article on how to grow spring cabbage.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

AKG069 - June catch up

emma — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:37:48 -0500

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I’m out in the Grow Dome this week, checking up on progress there and in the garden. Among other things there are new pond plants, too many tomatoes, potato flowers and new raised beds for the squash plants. What there isn’t is any soya beans.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

AKG068 - Bokashi

emma — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:56:22 -0500

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In this episode I talk about my experiences with the latest arrival on the composting scene – Bokashi.

Garden Organic are running a Bokashi trial – so if you’ve got experiences you would like to share with them you can download the details from their Home Composting website.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

Flipping Channels

emma — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:59:23 -0500

The Alternative Kitchen Garden is featured in the latest episode (episode 6) of Flipping Channels, a brief podcast that explores some of the podcasts available in the Podcast.com directory.

Podcast.com is organized into channels. The AKG is in the Hobbies channel. Another one you might like to look at is the Eco channel – there’s a lot of podcasts in there, although it’s pretty US-centric.

I hadn’t been to Podcast.com before, and a quick poke around in their directory this morning has brought up some treasures. The author of the China Bayles herbal mysteries (which I haven’t read, but keep meaning to!) recorded a series of 10 podcasts on herbs last spring called All About Thyme which I will be listening to.

And in a completely different vein, I discovered the new podcasts from Magnatune, a ‘fair trade’ record label. Listen to 60 minutes of (almost) uninterrupted Medieval music, or if that’s not your thing then have a look at their other podcasts.

AKG067 - Master Composters

emma — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:46:04 -0500

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Intrepid Oxfordshire Master Composters test the heap temperature at Agrivert’s composting facility

In this episode I talk about why I got involved with the Oxfordshire Master Composter scheme, what it involves and the benefits of home composting.

Garden Organic’s home composting website is the place to find out whether there’s a Master Composter scheme in your area, and how to get in touch with your local Master Composters if you would like their help.

WRAP’s RecycleNow website has some good information for people who are new to composting, and you can find out about subsidized compost bins in your area there too.

If you want to know more about composting then check out some of the previous AKG episodes. Episode 3 is on general composting, episode 26 is on worm composting and episode 60 covers cold composting. Looking forward to later in the year, episode 32 explains how to make leaf mould.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

Find out about this week’s composting offers from Wiggly Wigglers – and how to bag some free seed potatoes – at Muppet’s Moolah.

AKG066 - Pest Repellent Plants

emma — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:32:20 -0500

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This time last year we were talking about courgettes, and hopefully this summer we’ll have better weather and can have more success with the courgette trial! And you can get a good deal on the forthcoming Seeds of Italy cookbook if you pre-order from their website!

This episode is all about pest repellent plants, including companion plants such as marigolds and nasturtiums and plants like the Shoo Fly plant (Nicandra physaloides) and the Scardy Cat plant (Coleus canina) and herbs that actively repel flies or larger pests!

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

AKG065 - Grow Your Own Fresh Air

emma — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:20:22 -0500

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Vote for your favourite gardening blogs, websites and podcast over at Mouse & Trowel.

We’re indoors today, talking about indoor air quality and sick building syndrome – and the part that houseplants can play in helping to keep us all healthy. I thoroughly recommend buying Dr B C Wolverton’s book, ‘How to Grow Fresh Air’ if you’re interested in this subject – it contains information about how plants clean our air, how to successfully care for houseplants and the top 50 plants for improving air quality, rated scientifically. (Buy from Amazon UK or US)

For reference, the plants mentioned in the show are: The Areca palm (AKA the yellow or butterfly palm), the Lady palm, the Bamboo palm, Rubber plants, Dracaena “Janet Craig”, English Ivy, the dwarf Date palm, Ficus alii, the Boston fern and the Peac lily.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

AKG064 - Blueberries

emma — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:56:53 -0500

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Vote for your favourite gardening blogs, websites and podcast over at Mouse & Trowel.

Grow your own superfood! Blueberries are easy to grow (at least in theory ;) and happy in containers. You will need a water butt, though, so check out episode 14 on water-wise gardening (not episode 13, as I mentioned in the show).

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

Out in the garden

emma — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:17:02 -0500

If there are any topics you would like the AKG to cover, or you have any hints and tips or stories that you would like to share, leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group.

AKG063 - Achocha

emma — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:44:26 -0500

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Vote for your favourite gardening blogs, websites and podcast over at Mouse & Trowel. And don’t forget that it’s Earth Day on April 22nd.

This episode is all about growing Achocha, Cylantera pedata or C. brachystachya and their close relative the exploding cucumber (C. explodens).

In the UK you can get achocha seeds from Real Seeds and Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

New promo - the aliens have landed!

emma — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:39:00 -0500

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Alien oca, invading the Eden Project

Pete and I have had some fun recording a new promo for the AKG. I hope you enjoy it!