Landscape Juice

Horticultural use amounts to 0.0005% of world peat reserves

I've never been convinced that the use of peat in horticultural products has ever had a significant impact on the world's environment and if I was even the slightest bit worried before - after reading a press release from the International Peat Society IPS on their global strategy for responsible peatland management - I'm not the slightest bit worried now.

Making seed potting compost advice sources

Doing my daily news round tour to find a juicy item I always pop on to the Guardian, Telegraph or Times online websites to see if there are any tasty nuggets to share with you.

Occasionally there is something of interest; a snippet of advice or a noteworthy tip that's worth a mention.

On the whole, I do feel as though I am being hoodwinked a lot of the time and the stories are made up or the writer has done a quick trawl of the web, read a few garden blogs and cobbled something together to satisfy the editor.

A green new force in British politics: The Gardening Party

With trust in status quo politics withering away, earth-friendly gardening writer John Walker presents his manifesto for a brave, visionary and greener force fit for the dawning of a more earth-friendly era.

As a media frenzy media engulfs confirmation of the date for the forthcoming general election, I am as delighted as I am humbled to announce that I intend to stand for Parliament, where I will sow the seeds of a dynamic new force in British politics. Fresh and forward-thinking, it will put real plot into politics, so that within a few short months of my party taking office, ‘political plotting’ will gain a new, historic meaning. When I say that my party will appeal to the grass roots, I truly mean it.

This new, vibrant and earth-centric powerhouse for change will be known as The Gardening Party (TGP). Its policies will be driven by the seriousness of the environmental challenges which lie ahead: the intertwined threats of climate change and ‘peak oil’, resource depletion, destruction of natural habitats, global pollution, and the planet-wide erosion of biodiversity.

It's good to pee on your compost heap

I have lost count at the amount of compost heaps I have peed on during my time as a professional gardener.

There is more than one reason gardeners pop to the compost toilet. One it is often hidden from view and screened by hedges, fence or wall so it offers a little privacy and two, because a gardener knows it is doing some good.

urine contains Urea - Urea breaks down into Ammonia which breaks down further into Nitrogen.

A round up of news for National Compost Awareness Week

It's National Compost Awareness Week and to mark the occasion I have trawled a few of the blogs and news stories to see what is happening around the country (and further afield) - so you don't have to.

National Compost Awareness Week - Baltimore Sun
"During the summer, you may get "mature" compost in as little as a month. During the winter, when the heat isn't available to speed the decomposition process, it takes much longer."