News
Perfect Plants: You’re Closer Than You Think
A woman ahead of you at the garden centre has stopped dead in the houseplant aisle. One hand rests on…
Page 7 - News
News
Why Delaying Planting by One Week Changed the Whole Season
The seed was ready. The forecast appeared “not too bad.” My neighbours had already taken their tractors out…
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Forests as carbon sinks: why growing woodland matters for the climate
Yet the effect remains fragile. New research indicates that forests, particularly those still growing, are…
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Why Your Lush Garden Looks Beautiful but Produces Little Food
The garden could have come straight from a magazine. Thick clusters of shiny leaves, flower beds bursting with…
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How Lending Land for Bees Can Change Your Tax Status
The old metal gate gave its familiar creak as René pushed it open on that spring morning. To one side…
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Plant Summer Bulbs in March: Alan Titchmarsh and Sarah Raven’s Advice
Anyone hoping to see metre-high flowers, overflowing window boxes and brilliantly coloured beds in June has a…
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Chicken Dust Bath: Natural Protection Against Red Poultry Mites
In spring, a look inside the hen house often reveals the same scene: restless birds that keep scratching…
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Heirloom Seeds: Grow a Wider, Stronger, Tastier Plate
Last week, I cut into one expecting that peppery, green-fingered scent of a plant that has lived through real…
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Lemon Tree in March: Avoid These Common Spring Mistakes
The sun is already pleasantly warm during the day, the potted lemon tree has fresh buds, and the urge to…
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How Biochar Is Reviving Dead Soils Around the World
Cracked like ancient pottery and grey-brown in colour, it was the sort of field you crossed quickly because it…
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How Bee Hives Can Turn Your Peaceful Plot Into a Taxable Farm
The morning the letter arrived, the bees were the busiest workers on the property. The retired owner sat on…
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Pruning Geraniums Before Spring: The One-Third Rule for Continuous Blooms
The first proper light of late winter filters through the kitchen window, falling directly across the…
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Turbo Heat Logs: Do “Quadruple Heat” Claims Really Work?
Still wrapped in plastic, they were giving off a faint steam in the freezing air by the morning. At 8…
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The coffee-cup trick for more raspberries
Many amateur gardeners plant raspberry canes with high hopes, only to be disappointed when just a few meagre…
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Nitrogen-Fixing Trees Could Speed Tropical Forest Regrowth and Carbon Storage
New research indicates that a carefully targeted nitrogen boost - supplied not through bags of fertiliser, but…
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Gaura vs Roses: the Tough Perennial for a Long-Flowering Garden
Although roses still reign as symbols of romance, an increasing number of home gardeners are choosing a…
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Beekeeping Tax Rules for Retirees: When a Hobby Becomes an Agricultural Business
On a cold April morning, Paul, a retired electrician, walks beside a field that is not his. On one side…
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How Sage and Mint Keep Your Harvest Fresh Through Winter
At first light, the town’s small market stirred beneath clouds of breath and numb fingers, with crates of…
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China’s Great Green Wall: a billion trees against a moving desert
On the fringe of the Tengger Desert, the early air carries the flavour of dust and pine needles. Li Wei…
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Why Plant Spacing Matters More Than Poor Soil in Your Garden
The woman looked at her tomato plants as though they had let her down personally. Their leaves were lush and…
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Aldi’s Cheap Food and Genetically Engineered Ingredients
Stacks of cereal cartons, frozen pizzas, snack bars and yoghurts filled the shelves. Everything was brightly…