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I'm passionate about urban agriculture and junk gardening and helping newbies grow their own food cheaply and effectively with little or no garden space, promoting the idea that city spaces can be garden spaces too.

Julie Green Talks "Grow Your Neighbour's Own"

I’m a committed advocate of encouraging people to garden anywhere and everywhere. Lack of soil or space hasn’t stopped me from growing vegetables and herbs for my family, and it shouldn’t hinder you either. There is, of course, a lot going for the joy and masochistic satisfaction of double digging and actually working the land – and you can’t do that with a container garden.

The Zero Garbage Challenge

After a short break and a healthy rethink, I’ve refocused my efforts in growing my own food. Over on my personal blog, Plotz, I’ve started a yearlong pledge to grow 25% of my own grocery bill and reduce my garbage to as near to zero as possible. I took my inspiration for the latter from three excellent websites.

The Organic Approach to Fertiliser

Plants are like humans. They need a bit of sunlight, some water, a nice place to live and they definitely need food. Unlike humans, plants don’t take to a gourmet menu or a spot of takeaway Chinese. Their requirements are simpler than that, so simple that you can break it down into just three letters: N, P and K.

The Compost Bin Isn’t Just the Contents of Your Trashcan and Toilet

Last week I showed my new compost bin to my dear friend Diane. “Ugh,” she shuddered. “I’m not looking in there – that’s disgusting.”

Rob Beattie, “101 Things to Do in a Shed” (Ebury Press)

The British Male considers the humble shed a sanctuary and haven, with many British Females following suit. My dad kitted out his last shed with an armchair, camping stove, radio, bar heater and small fridge. My mum could never quite understand why banning him there after an argument made him cheerful, rather than contrite. I’ve had many a thoughtful cup of tea in mine and regard it as a second home.

Your Plants Need to Get Along

There is always going to be someone in the office that you don’t like. You also have someone else that you’re happy to hang out with after work. Geoff in accounts has that way of annoying you whenever he cracks his lame jokes. Dave makes you laugh and you have a lot in common. He also knows how to warn you when the boss is walking in your direction when you’re playing FreeCell instead of working on that spreadsheet.

Apologies

Georgy will be back on Wednesday 29th July.

Creating a Microclimate for your Plants

When you are a gardener, the most important thing you can do is not to think like a gardener. Gardeners think about cups of tea and planting out seeds and how long they can get away with sitting in the shed.

Let’s Grow Something – Right Now!

It can be a little scary when you first start growing vegetables and herbs. Seed catalogues have a bewildering array of choice. Gardening is also a slow pursuit where results come after a long process of care, love and attention.

Where Do I Put My Plants When I Have No Space?

Newbie gardeners have bags of enthusiasm, pots of commitment and acres of curiosity. However, they don’t have actual bags, pots and acres.

What Does Your Garden Grow?

You’ve decided that you’d quite like to garden in your concrete surroundings. You might even have joined Grow Your Neighbour’s Own and have access to some land. Perhaps you’ve inherited an area of green in a community project.

Why Freecycle is the Best Thing You Can Join This Week

If you’ve never gardened before, the initial prospect can seem quite bewildering. For starters, there’s the mammoth cash outlay of containers, earth, tools, seeds and the like.

How to Grow Vegetables at 48 Feet

The rising cost of living coupled with growing levels of unemployment mean that many of us are wondering how to put food on the table. However, we live in a city, and not all of us have access to gardens or plots.