The Spaceman of Afghanistan

Traditionally, greenhouses can be quite energy and water intensive, running on fossil fuels which are detrimental to the environment. This is why more and more UK homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are designing their greenhouses with sustainability in mind. In this article, we’ll talk you through the different areas where you can consider improving the sustainability of your greenhouse and how these could benefit you – so that you can garden with a green conscience as well as a green thumb.

Using wallpaper to update your space brings in patterns and textures that plain old paint just can’t match. Especially with numerous peel-and-stick wallpaper options, you have various designs you can choose from without having to fully commit for years.

When it comes to interior design, it can be tricky to know what decor trends to buy into and what to skip. While 2023 trends included leaning into bold color, maximalist style, dark countertops, and a nod to Art Deco, some others like all-white interiors, sparse spaces, and wiggly furnishings weren't as popular. They may not be entirely trends to skip, but at least ones to put on the back burner if you are currently designing or updating your space. Looking for some advice? We sat down with interior designers to get their take on design trends they wish they'd skipped.

Header image: Lupinus albus (altramuces o chochitos), by Calapito via Wikimedia Commons.

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Towards the end of June, I received some seeds from Dobies to trial. I chose varieties that could be sown later in the year, but at the point at which they arrived I didn’t have a garden. The paving was finished, but the raised beds weren’t yet built. I chose to sow only the nasturtiums – Princess of India and Alaska.

Move over, Mark Watney, there’s a new space botanist heading for Mars! Ryan and I have just finished watching the new Netflix series Away, which follows (over 10 episodes) the quest of five international astronauts to be the first people to set foot on the red planet.

One of the stories that I read as a child that has stayed with me is The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. For a long time I had a copy on my bookshelf, but when I had the urge to read it last week I discovered that was no longer the case. Fortunately it’s easy enough to find a free copy, particularly as it’s part of the new range of free Amazon Kindle Classics, which you can read via the free Amazon Kindle app – you don’t need an actual Kindle.

Just over a year ago, when we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, I talked about the lack of diversity in space and mentioned Mary Jackson. In 2016, the movie Hidden Figures shared the stories of Mary Jackson and two other Black female mathematicians – Katherine Johnson and, Dorothy Vaughan. They worked at NASA when a ‘computer’ still meant a person carrying out mathematical calculations. The film is based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly, which I am reading at the moment. The book offers a more detailed and accurate account of the prejudice these women (and others) had to overcome.

Can we grow food on the Moon or Mars? That was the question that started Dr Wieger Wamelink, ecologist and exobiologist at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, on a research quest in 2013.

Header image: Geoff Caddick/EPA

Join Emma the Space Gardener as she explores gardening on Earth… and beyond! In this episode, Emma takes the time machine for a spin to explore the early history of seeds in space. Plus you’ll find out which plants will be best for terraforming Mars, why greenhouses may soon be made from solar panels, what’s included in a Russian space tourist package and more!