Elizabeth Waddington

Fruit-Infused Alcohols

If you are interested in food preservation then there are plenty of interesting activities to enjoy at this time of the year. When you think of preservation, it is most likely that your mind will turn first to freezing, canning and dehydration. But another interesting thing to consider is making fruit infused alcohols. Infusing alcoholicContinue reading “Fruit-Infused Alcohols”

Sustainable Christmas Trees?

Following on from my previous article, it’s time to take a look at Christmas trees from a sustainability perspective. Should you get a Christmas tree and, if so, which is the most sustainable type? Should you get a real tree or an artificial one? The truth is, unfortunately, that both artificial and cut Christmas treesContinue reading “Sustainable Christmas Trees?”

Natural Christmas Decorations For a Zero Waste Home

It may still feel too early to be talking about this. But this year, many people are choosing to begin decorating their homes for Christmas earlier than usual. It has been a difficult year for many. And a number of households are trying to bring back some cheer with holiday decorations. Whether you are thinkingContinue reading “Natural Christmas Decorations For a Zero Waste Home”

Case Study: Alabama Permaculture Design

This is a quick design for a domestic backyard in Alabama. The site slopes downwards towards the east, and the client asked for a design that would allow them to make the most of the site and grow their own fruit and vegetables. The swales in this design are paired with hugelkultur techniques. And IContinue reading “Case Study: Alabama Permaculture Design”

Why Grow (and Buy) Organic?

Today, I thought I would focus on why it is so important to grow (and buy) organic. In order to answer this question, we need to look at the problems inherent in modern food producing systems. Unfortunately, the cost of organic produce compared to non-organic options often means that the decision often comes down toContinue reading “Why Grow (and Buy) Organic?”

Start Your Own Organic Garden – 12 Week Course

Due to recent enquiries, I will be starting a 12 week email correspondence course ‘Start Your Own Organic Garden’. This is a simple, practical course designed to help beginners move to the point where they are ready to start their own organic food producing garden in the spring. The course will run from January 4thContinue reading “Start Your Own Organic Garden – 12 Week Course”

DIY Garden Projects To Take on Over Winter

As autumn progresses and colder weather arrives, there might not be quite as much work to do in your garden on plant care. So you might have the luxury of a little more time to spend on other DIY garden projects. I thought that today, I would suggest a few DIY garden projects that youContinue reading “DIY Garden Projects To Take on Over Winter”

Edible Ornamentals and Ornamental Edibles

Many gardeners compartmentalise in their heads. They put edible crops into one category, and ornamental, flowering plants in another. But there can actually be a lot of overlap between these two categories. In a permaculture garden, we integrate don’t segregate. We grow plenty of flowers as companion plants in our polyculture vegetable beds. We considerContinue reading “Edible Ornamentals and Ornamental Edibles”

Windowsill Growing Over Winter

Even if you do not have a garden, there is still plenty you can grow at home. Even when you do have a garden it can be pleasant to have some things growing on a windowsill inside your home – so you can harvest a quick crop in poor weather conditions without even having toContinue reading “Windowsill Growing Over Winter”

Building Forest Garden Guilds

In a forest garden, the goal when choosing different plants is to build guilds of beneficial plants which aid one another and us in a range of ways. If you are familiar with the idea of a forest garden, you will already know that they involve layered planting. The top layer are the canopy trees.Continue reading “Building Forest Garden Guilds”