CAT ‘High Fibre’ cold composting

The question of toxicity in plants always bugs the minds of every pet keeper. If you are a cat parent, you must be wondering Are Snake Plants Toxic to Cats or not. Well, it’s time to find out the answer!

Autumn is approaching, and you know what that means: It’s time to watch (or maybe rewatch for the 10th time) Gilmore Girls, the classic cozy TV show set in charming Stars Hollow. Rory and Lorelai’s lives offer more than just quirky hometown characters, book recommendations, and nostalgic fashion inspiration—you’re forgetting about all of the beautiful settings the show has to offer. 

EVERY GARDENER has their obsessions—or maybe a nicer way to say that might be to call it their “signature plants,” the ones that help define their garden. I confess to a serious issue with gold-leaved things. And last time I checked my friend Ken Druse had more than a few plants with variegated leaves of all kinds of daring patterns and hues that catch your eye in his New Jersey garden.

Winter can be extremely difficult for most plants to survive, including succulents. The growth process is hindered, and the plant can freeze out. However, several succulents can thrive well in freezing cold temperatures, too. Check out these Cold Hardy Succulents for Winters in our compiled list.

When you have time off work, you might not always go away. But that time you have off work can be put to good use to try and further your sustainable practices.

An ideal seed compost is able to retain water, whilst at the same time letting excess water drain away to provide an environment that is damp but not waterlogged. It allows penetration of plant roots and is able to anchor plants, but has space for air. Its texture is consistent, and it is free from pests, diseases and weeds that would compete with the seedlings. As we have seen, it doesn’t need to contain many nutrients if seedlings are going to be pricked out; seedlings growing in modules will either need enough nutrients in the compost to support them through their first weeks of life, or suitable supplementary feeding.

One of the big differences between now and the time before gardeners relied so much on peat-based composts is the rise in container growing. An army of modern amateur gardeners has to put up with small gardens, and possibly with no soil at all. Growing plants in containers allows us to garden wherever we like, and even to grow plants that would not thrive in our soil. Some plants are grown in containers to keep them under control; others so that they can be moved indoors in winter to ensure their survival.

Ericaceous compost

When the sun shone on Saturday morning, and the rain promised to delay until midday, we hatched a plan to build two more of the raised beds in the garden. One half of the garden – 6 beds – was completed last year, leaving 6 more to go. We don’t have space for them all until we take the old shed down, but we found room for two next to Ryan’s workshop.

I’m not a chemist, but I do find plant chemistry (and the links and patterns between different plants) to be a fascinating topic. Fortunately there are chemists out there who can bring these to our attention, and Compound Interest includes some great plant-related infographics amongst a wider spread of chemical topics.

Gardeners are privileged to witness miracles on a daily basis – seeds germinating, buds unfurling and bees pollinating flowers. No less miraculous are the quiet miracles that take place in the compost heap, where tiny organisms turn waste products into compost, allowing the cycle of life to begin again.

I’ve got a brand new compost tumbler… and the Wurzels stuck in my head: