One of the challenges the world faces at the moment is antimicrobial resistance. Until the 20th century, commonplace illnesses caused by bacteria – such as pneumonia and diarrhoea – were the number one cause of human death in the developed world. Then we developed antibiotics, and these diseases became almost irrelevant. We added anti fungal, antiviral and anti parasitic treatments to our arsenal, and it looked like infectious diseases were on the run.
But these pathogens fight back. They mutate and develop resistance to our treatments. The rise of ‘superbugs’ that are very difficult to treat is of worldwide concern, and there’s a scientific scramble to develop new classes of antimicrobials.
Much of what we as individuals can do to help slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance is common sense:
It had never occurred to me to wonder whether there might be antimicrobial resistant bacteria on on my homegrown veggies, but that’s just what a new citizen science project is going to investigate.
Scientists don’t know whether antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are present in homegrown produce, or how the way that we grow and prepare our harvests might affect the numbers if they are present.
Citizen Science and Antimicrobial Resistance is a joint project between the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the University of Reading, Garden Organic and project team members representing growers groups in York.
York University is looking for volunteers to help with the project to make sure that they’re asking questions of interest to growers, and to help deciding on methods, collect samples from crops, send them off for analysis, and help communicate findings.
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More and more these days, the media is full of stories of superfoods – usually fruits with high concentrations of antioxidants. The blueberry led the superfood charge, but has been left behind by newer and more exotic rivals, such as acai berries, goji berries and the yumberry.
Outside of the tropics, the only place you’re likely to see a cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao, the trees that give us chocolate) is in a heated greenhouse at the botanical gardens. They can be grown as house plants, and seeds germinate easily when they’re fresh, but their size, their requirement for heat and the fact that you need two plants for pollination means that they’re unlikely to bear fruit. And even if they did, the process of turning cocoa beans into chocolate is a long one.
As its Valentine’s Day today, and the whole world is in the mood for love, I thought I would talk about one of the most enduring and productive relationships a gardener can have. Although plants (and even gardens) may come and go, if you invest in good tools and look after them properly they will be with you throughout your gardening life.
Mrs Green has set herself a new challenge this spring – she’s aiming to grow her own luffa (or loofah) to use as zero waste pan scrubbers. Never one to shy away from new plant experiences, I’m going to join her!
It’s raining heavily today, so there’s no point even trying to go outside into the garden, but if there’s a plus point to such dreadful weather then it does – at least temporarily – make people aware of what’s under their feet. Soil tends to be forgotten until it turns into mud, or you squelch along through sodden grass, or watch priceless fertility washed down the drain. Weather like this shows us the importance of winter soil care, particularly keeping soil covered (even if all you have is weeds!) so that plant roots can hold it all together for you.
Victoriana Nursery Gardens is a family-run business. They like to help out local schools where they can – gardening is a fun and healthy activity for kids, helping them to learn about the environment and encouraging them to eat their veggies. They’re sponsoring a school garden this year, providing everything the school needs to get their veg plot up and running.
Ryan and I watched the first episode of Blue Planet 2 yesterday. David Attenborough is at the helm for another series showing the awe and wonder of the natural world, using clever camera work, an intrepid crew and the occasional parlour trick to show us things we would never normally see, and – for the most part – could never imagine. Dolphins and false killer whales meeting up as old friends. A fish that carries a clam from the edge of the reef to its own personal anvil to crack it open. Fish that change sex. Marine plants (seaweed and phytoplankton) that produce at least as much oxygen as land plants, and probably much more.
At the moment I’m building a new garden from scratch, and as I’m putting in hard landscaping it’s taking some time (which is frustrating) and the project has a budget. This is in complete contrast to when I started my first garden, which started small, had no plan, and no budget to speak of.
Sprouting broccoli is not the usual sort of broccoli you’d find in the supermarket. Those big heads of tight green florets are heading broccoli, also known as calabrese. Sprouting broccoli is a much more majestic plant, taller and hardier and giving a generous harvest of small florets in early spring, when the kitchen garden struggles to put food on your table.
Here in the UK it’s traditional to take a couple of weeks off work over the summer and head off to somewhere with better weather – or at least somewhere that you can get away from it all for a little while. It’s one of the ironies of life that this takes you away from the garden at a time when it really could use your help. If you have a gardening neighbour then you can rely on them to take care of your garden while you’re away, but if you don’t and don’t want to come home to dead plants, weeds and giant marrows then there are a few things you can do to prepare your garden for your absence.