Show Notes
Fiona chats with Nick Mole, Policy Officer from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK who shares why pesticides should be banned from use in our urban spaces, and how communities can be affected by pesticide use.
“Knowing that there are alternatives to pesticides that do work, pesticide use in our towns and cities is completely unnecessary. France has banned the use of all non-agricultural pesticides. They have legislation in place and it works. It is often hard, councils are facing all sorts of difficulties. So we do need that support from our legislators.”
Also in this episode…
Chris and Fiona discuss why hardy annuals are popping up in Chris’ allotment now, and look forward to September seed sowing. From the postbag, the team troubleshoot a late flowering courgette, and with the help of listeners, find out what animal was causing last month’s strawberry piles!
Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com
Sign the petition to ban the use of pesticides in urban spaces https://pesticidecollaboration.org/go-pesticide-free/
More from The Organic Gardening Podcast
Join Fiona Taylor for a special edition of the Organic Gardening Podcast, recorded at the inspiring Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival. Meet a host of passionate gardening experts, including Yeo Valley's Sarah Mead, Ben Raskin, Georgie Newbery, Nigel Cox, Nicola Hope, Lara Honnor and Lottie Delamain, as they share their ideas, advice and enthusiasm for growing organically.
In this month's podcast, Fiona and Chris chat about how you can get the most out of autumn. Discover how to save, store and share seeds, look after your compost heap, care for trees after a dry summer and tackle persistent weeds. They also touch on how gardeners can adapt to hotter summers, extend the growing season and choose crops that thrive in changing conditions. Also in this episode... We answer your questions on: the difference between box blight and box moth, how you can tackle whitefly in the greenhouse and which green manures are suitable for sowing late in the season.
In this month’s interview episode, Fiona meets Lesley Greene, one of the founders of the Bisley Community Composting Scheme. The scheme is of the UK’s longest-running community composting initiatives. Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, Bisley Community Composting have been transforming local organic waste into valuable compost for the community in Gloucestershire for more than two decades. Fiona chats to Lesley about the scheme’s history, the joys and challenges of community composting, and how the scheme works. She also takes a tour of the site, which produces compost for around 160 local households every year.
This month, Fiona catches up with Chris to reflect on a challenging summer of extreme heat and drought, and what it could mean for the way we garden in the future. They discuss which crops have coped best, how gardeners can adapt what they grow and ways to conserve water and protect soil health. They also explore seed saving, companion planting and using shade to help gardens cope with hotter conditions. Also on this episode...
In this month’s interview, Fiona is joined by agroecology writer Nancy Matsumoto to discuss her book, Reaping What She Sows. The book celebrates women changemakers from around the world who are helping to rebuild our broken food system. From maverick farmers, millers and bakers reviving local grain economies, to brewers, distillers and winemakers regenerating land and ecosystems, as well as Indigenous and diasporic seed savers, these inspiring women are creating shorter, more direct and transparent alternative food supply chains. Fiona and Nancy explore the people and ideas helping to shape a more resilient, sustainable and equitable food future.