John Walker is an award-winning gardening and environment writer, author and blogger. His latest book, How to Create an Eco Garden: the Practical Guide to Greener, Planet-friendly Gardening, was recently published by Aquamarine. John is making a ‘climate-friendly’ garden on the edge of woodland at his home in Snowdonia, where his large lean-to greenhouse is powered by free, non-polluting and renewable modern sunshine. His website is www.earthfriendlygardener.net

Modified new world

February 15, 2012

Letting the GM genie out of its biotech bottle hasn’t just changed day-to-day life on our allotments, it’s now taking over control of life itself. They’ll be here soon. The moment – preceded by a warning bleep – that the … [ Read More ]

Go green – hug a greenhouse

January 23, 2012

In a garden near you there’s a greenhouse looking for love – and giving it a new home would make your ‘gardening footprint’ a few sizes smaller. “Will you stop peeping?” Joining me for a walk at this time of year … [ Read More ]

The carbon conundrum

December 4, 2011

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.

Considerate cultivation: running your garden on renewable fuels

October 21, 2011

Going peat-free is essential in an earth-friendly garden, but there’s more: the compost you use needs to be a truly renewable fuel. Coaxing a steep, bracken-riddled bank of acidic, nutrient-poor soil into a structured, productive garden might sound challenging enough. … [ Read More ]

Bring me sunshine: the power behind renewable gardening

September 23, 2011

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. My garden has become important to me in ways … [ Read More ]