There’s never a dull moment at the Heritage Seed Library for our team. If you’ve ever wanted to know what happens to produce the little brown seed packets so coveted by HSL members, read on for a behind-the-scenes look at our highlights through the year.
The Government's new Agricultural Bill is currently being discussed in Parliament. This is our last chance to ensure that organic farming is represented. As the draft Bill stands, there is no mention of the importance of organic techniques, nor of financial support for organic farmers.
Congratulations to Clipper, producer of organic teas, who claim to have produced "the world’s first plastic-free, non-GM, unbleached tea bag." Now you can safely and effectively throw your tea bags on to the compost heap.
1958 – Britain ends war time coal rationing and opens the first motorway, Butlin’s holiday camps dares to serve Chinese chop suey, and a house costs less than £1000. In October, an extraordinary event took place.
A new study appears to link eating organic food with a reduced risk of developing cancer. French scientists studied nearly 70,000 respondents, over a period of 7 years, and found that there was a significant reduction in the risk of most cancers amongst those who ate organically, and particularly of postmenopausal breast cancer, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, and all other lymphomas.
Hosting wildlife in your garden has never been more important. This week’s celebration of wildlife gardening is set against some shock statistics:
Back in 2016, many British dairy farmers faced a difficult choice: accept a price for their milk that was lower than the cost of producing it or shut up shop. Supermarket price wars have contributed to increasingly tight margins and it has become ever more difficult to make a living as a farmer, with a number of farms dangerously close to operating at a loss. With many farmers already maintaining large debts, some have been forced to make the life-changing decision to close their business.
Garden Organic are delighted to announce that we have recently appointed Kim Stoddart to the role of editor of the charity’s member magazine, The Organic Way.
If you have grown leeks in the last few years, you may have noticed a relatively new pest on the scene. The leaves twist, the plants distort, then if you are unlucky, they collapse leaving debris infested with small creamy maggots and brown pupae.
As the first tinges of autumn start to set in, a gardener starts to think about his plans for the winter period. The winter provides opportunity for re-jigging the landscape of an area. First though let’s enjoy the autumn, as I have a feeling it’s going to be a bumper year for colour.