Gardenig in Eu. Tips & Guides

Collaborative post

The European Union is set to impose new tariffs on a list of American goods this week, including a number of agricultural products. 

Dumping manure in public spaces, hurling eggs at government buildings, blocking major roads—the European farmers who have taken to the streets to challenge free trade policies sure know how to raise a ruckus. Beginning with German farmers in January earlier this year, to then include French and Belgian producers, the continent-wide protest movement has expanded into Spain and Italy as of mid-February. Their public disruption has also produced results.

The spectre of a No Deal Brexit has faded somewhat, with the EU giving us an extension until Halloween. Halloween. Someone in the EU has a sense of humour. I’m still going to grow my ‘Brexit’ garden this year; who knows, perhaps I can gather everything safely in, before the Brexit storms begin again.

The government has appointed a new “Food Supplies Minister” to oversee protection of British food supplies through our turbulent Brexit from the European Union. They’ve chosen David Rutley, who worked for various food companies – including PepsiCo and Asda – before becoming at politician, so at least he’s had experience of a proper job. It’s the first time we’ve had a minister purely for food since Lord Woolton was made Minister of Food in 1940.

The news for the past few weeks has been a little worrying (when is it not?), in the sense that although Brexit is only 7 months away, no one seems to have the foggiest what will happen when we leave the EU. All kinds of industries are predicting chaos. People in the government have said that the government is making plans to stockpile food, and the public don’t need to worry. However, with ‘just in time’ food supply lines that leave us nine meals away from anarchy, perhaps a little concern is in order. We’ve recently lived through a hummus shortage (due to production issues), a crumpet/fizzy drinks shortage (ditto) and salad shortages (weather issues), and that’s just the ones I (a) noticed and (b) can remember.

Apparently a No Deal Brexit could threaten our water supplies, as the chemicals used for water treatment are imported from the EU and can’t be stockpiled in any quantity. Even if we dodge that bullet, climate change and population increases mean England could run out of water in the next 25 years. The chief executive of the Environment Agency wants wasting water to become socially unacceptable, and it’s a good bet that garden sprinklers – which in one hour use as much water as the average person does in a week – will become as frowned upon as smoking indoors.

If you’re keeping track of the news to see how Brexit is progressing, then the only possible answer (whatever your political persuasion) is… not well. MPs have vetoed the PM’s deal (again), the Speaker has vetoed her plan to make them vote on it again, the PM has been forced to ask the EU for an extension, and the French PM has said he won’t agree to one. With 9 days to go, we still don’t know what’s happening, and whether we will crash out of the EU without a deal (even though Parliament voted that wasn’t what they wanted).

As the world population grows, it will be a challenge to meet everyone’s nutritional needs with traditional sources of protein.

Join Emma the Space Gardener as she explores gardening on Earth… and beyond! In this episode, Emma explores some exciting interplanetary plant news and talks about two projects growing in the Orbital Garden – heritage hydroponics and space chiles.

Woodlice are generally seen as scavengers who eat rotting matter, they are not thought of as harmful to the garden. However, they do chew leaves and stems of tomatoes and cucumber in the greenhouse. They are not true insects but a species of crustacean.

Will the EU ban the garden use of glyphosphate the best chemical cure for Couch grass?

Are you stumped about how best to remove the stump and roots of  a tree after you have taken down the trunk and branches? This is the stump of an over grown Eucalyptus that was removed in spring. The slit was intended to hold weed killer but as the side shoots show it hasn’t worked.

We’re in the midst of a revolution! It’s been 20 years in the making, but all of a sudden we’re fundamentally rethinking how we garden. And this could not be more evident than at the garden shows I’ve attended this year. Each and every one of them was dominated by show gardens designed in wilder ways than the exhibits of the past 100 years. Instead of sleek paving, multi stem birches and wall-to-wall Oudolf-esque perennial swathes, we are greeted with a whole new aesthetic. And it is quite unlike anything we’ve seen before. These wild or wildlife focused gardens are packed with native plants, diverse habitats and a whole load of upcycled materials.

EUROPEAN UNION? The first Apis mellifera aka European honey bee I see each year is always having at the first Eranthis hyemalis or winter aconite to open, likewise a European species. I don’t know enough to know if their distant ancestors did the same dance way back when, but I like to wonder (and I like to imagine they might have, cause that’s how my brain works). And now I will spend 57 hours reading esoteric botanical and entomological research papers on the native ranges of each if I can even find them, because it beats reading the news lately. By a mile.March 20SURVIVORS! Lichen and moss are ancient creatures, living on earth for hundreds of millions of years already through thick and thin. When I filled the bird feeder this morning, I looked more closely than I usually do at the community that has formed using a slat of a very old wooden bench as its substrate, and just thought: right, hunker down and stay put. Thank

So you want that awesome sturdy looking lounging sofa for your garden or living room, but don't want to splash the cash needed for a quality store made one?

In an effort to find out why the EU is banning the sale of packets of mixed varieties of vegetable seeds, I had a word with Paolo Arrigo from Seeds of Italy. He tells me that the ban is having an impact throughout Europe, not just the UK, and seed companies are totally mystified as to why it has been introduced. Apparently the o

The health of bees is something that is dear to my heart. Please join me in persuading the EU to ban neonicitinoids, the chemicals that are compromising both their and our future. Defra is dra

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION HERE It’s up to us to make it happen.

In 1939 at the advent of World War Two there were only 46 million people in Britain and the majority of vegetables were not imported from overseas. Indeed there wasn’t any large scale vegetable rationing during the entire war, only on foods like butter, meat and eggs. Supplies of other food ingredients such as bananas and oranges were hugely disrupted. The government of the day launched the well-known ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign to encourage us to dig up our lawns and village greens and turn them over to fruit and vegetable growing. This was largely to try and increase the amount of available food, to compensate for other things and not because of widespread vegetable shortages.