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I was wandering around Waterstones bookshop on a visit to Cambridge last month when my eye fell on a copy of Martin Crawford’s book “How to Grow Perennial Vegetables” (2012). It was the words “low-maintenance” on the front cover which attracted my attention. Ever one to save effort where possible,...

“Keep off the Grass" outside a Cambridge college: what grass?2025 has been an extraordinary summer. I went south to the London area to visit friends and family, and I have never experienced such conditions since I was working in Greece and the Middle East fifty years ago. Temperatures were over...

Heatwave in ScotlandPseudo-pithos waterbuttsWater shortage in Scotland? Too much sunlight? No, I’m not joking. Having restrained myself from planting out my seedlings in March and April, until the risk of snow had passed, I then had to cope with scorching sunlight and drought in May. I quickly used up the...

Growing fruit and vegetables in very tiny spaces has become very popular recently. Whether you are interested in food security or “wellness”, it has become a trending topic.  I currently have three fascinating books on the subject (see below).  All these books tell you how to construct a raised bed,...

I had never heard the word “organoponico” until I got hold of a book by Monty Don, “Around the World in 80 Gardens” (BBC 2007). He had a chapter on them. Organoponicos were a form of urban farming developed in Cuba in response to a sudden devastating emergency. When Cuba...