About Me

You can check out my gardening blog and some more of my gardening articles on my website: http://coopette.com

I also produce a podcast called the Alternative Kitchen Garden - subscribe at http://feeds.feedburner/akg. 

Keeping hens in your garden

Keeping hens in your back garden is easy. They make great pets and provide fresh eggs for the kitchen. They'll even eat slugs and snails for you, and you don't need to keep a rooster. And chicken manure is great for the garden!

What rot! A compost addict's guide to composting

Composting turns waste products into pure gardening gold, saving the planet in the process. Whatever the size of your garden (or even if you don't have one at all), there's a style of composting for you.

Growing peppers

Peppers are surprisingly easy to grow in most climates. A sheltered spot and a hot summer will give you a crop outside - but they also make great houseplants as they don't need to be pollinated by insects. And there's a pepper to suit all tastes - fro...

Unusual edibles

There are lots of things that you can grow in a kitchen garden. Many of them are well known and easy to find information on. Some are a bit more unusual, but experimenting with unusual edibles is fun and can be tasty!

Cool Recycling

Today's focus on the environment means that more people are getting into recycling. But with a bit of imagination you can make beautiful and unique products out of your waste.

Achocha

Achocha was one of the food crops grown by the Incas that never became popular in modern times. But achocha is an easy and attractive plant to grow, providing food, screening and a talking point for your garden.

I love Triond

Triond pay to publish your articles on their websites. They accept articles on a wide range of subjects and pay you a percentage of the resulting advertising revenue. The more popular your article is, the more you earn! Your articles earn money as lon...

Slugs

Slugs are one of a gardener's worst nightmares. They can decimate a row of seedlings overnight, and leave favorite perennials looking like Swiss cheese. But not all slugs are bad, and even the ones that munch your plants are playing an important role...

Permaculture basics

Permaculture is a design system that tries to mimic nature to create societies that are sustainable. Permaculture is often thought of as a gardening technique, but actually extends into all areas of life including town planning. Whenever you think ab...

Planting pips

Planting pips and seeds from bought fruit and vegetables is fun, and an easy way to grow your own house and garden plants for free! Many pips will grow into attractive houseplants and some will even bear edible fruit.

Comfrey

Comfrey is a plant that is much loved by organic gardeners and permaculturalists because of its ability to provide fertility. Comfrey is a dynamic accumulator - it sends down deep roots and extracts mineral nutrients from the depths. These nutrients...

Gardening podcasts

Sit back and listen to gardening shows anywhere, anytime you like! With gardening podcasts, just subscribe to the show and listen when it's convenient for you - on your computer or mp3 player.

Herbs for tea

Tea plays a very important role in many cultures, and although many of us do not live in a climate where the tea bush will thrive, there are many herbs which will grow and provide us with tasty, healthy herb teas.

Green manures

Green manures are plants that are grown to improve the soil in organic gardens. They can suppress weeds, improve the soil structure, prevent evaporation and soil erosion and even make the soil more fertile than it was before - you just need to choose...

Armchair gardening

Even the most dedicated gardener can't spend 24 hours a day pottering outside in the garden. When the weather is nasty, or you're too tired to dig, curl up with a good book and be inspired with new ideas for your garden.    

The Alternative Kitchen Garden: The Freshest Podcast Ever

Delivered straight to your door every week, the Alternative Kitchen Garden's mix of vegetables, herbs and fruit should be kept in a cool, dry place for maximum enjoyment.

Oriental Vegetables

Oriental vegetables are easy to grow and quick to crop. Most like to grow in spring or autumn, or even through the winter, when other harvests are thin on the ground. They're also very attractive plants, that will liven up your kitchen garden!