Convergence

Like many people all over the world, we’ll be switching off the lights at 8:30 pm South African time today as part of Earth Hour.
I like the idea of people all over the world doing the same thing at the same time – it makes me feel like I’m part of a bigger family, and [...]

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Chooks

I know this isn’t a strictly garden-related post, but ever since Vivh posted about chicken tractors, I’ve been thinking about chickens. Really.
I’m not sure how and where and when the humble hen became an industrial product – something that was produced, rather than the contented fowl that clucked around the back door and gave up [...]

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The President’s Potatoes

So apparently the Obamas are planning to dig up a patch of the White House gardens to build a vegetable patch. All the lobbying but people like The Slow Cook seems to have paid off, and I think it’s a great idea. Even if they don’t manage to feed the entire West Wing on the [...]

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Fire on the Mountaintop

South Africa is famous for a whole lot of stuff, some of it very cool, and some of it not so nice. But the one thing that gets most gardeners exited about South Africa is our indigenous fynbos. Translated from the Afrikaans, fynbos means “fine bush” and it’s a term used to describe the natural [...]

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The Hall of Fame (and Shame)

Right.  It’s settled then.  Following what was mentioned obliquely here, Brixton Broads proudly launches the brand spanking new Hall of Fame (and Shame) (cue exultant cheering).
This is the deal.  Enter pictures and an anecdote, or simply an anecdote if you’ve no pic but you’d better make it good, of your vegetable gardening exploits.  We’ll choose [...]

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And Over On the Other Side of the World…

While Vivh is knee-deep in crocuses and buyers remorse, here at the tip of the African continent we’re beginning to think about planting winter and spring bulbs. March is a little early, but we have had a decidedly wet and cool summer. Which must mean something, right? I mean, that’s what people who garden do: [...]

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But Not Quite

My mother has chided me for not using Wikipedia to find out more on crocuses.  As usual, she is right. I have also found this good post by Nigel Colborn at Silvertreedaze which I reached via Baklava Shed Coalition via Veg Plotting via Garden Monkey (who says he has stopped blogging but hasn’t). Nigel mentions [...]

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Plotting The Way Ahead

Growing your own vegetables is becoming increasingly de rigeur here in the UK and demand for allotments is such that the National Trust recently released land sufficient to create 1 000 new allotments across Britain.
Although I remain conflicted about buying fruit and veg flown in from Africa, knowing how dependent communities can be on such [...]

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Crocused Out

Given that I’m unemployed in a country undergoing its worst economic slump, recession, or, if Gordon Brown’s slip is to be believed, depression, in as many years, spending forty pounds on a season ticket to Kew Gardens is probably a little extravagant right now.  To use a family phrase, it’s definitely spending tight fisted Uncle [...]

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It’s Those Roses Again, Primrose

If you’re beginning to feel like this global crunch is too much Hard Times and not enough Love and Friendship, here is some news that should cheer you up. Our favourite rose grower, Ludwig Taschner, and his lovely daughter Anja are holding  a photo competition in which the prize is twenty roses of your choosing.
There [...]

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