Articles written by Emma Cooper - Page 2

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About me - Emma Cooper

I'm a keen kitchen gardener in Oxfordshire, UK. I garden organically and love making my own compost.

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Home & Garden > Vegetables & Herbs What is permaculture?: 1 of 2
'Permaculture' is a combination of two words - PERManent and agriCULTURE or simply CULTURE - used to describe a way of designing systems for human use that meet human needs in a sustainable way. The term wasfirst used in the 1970s, by two Australians - Bill Mollinson and David Holmgren.Permaculture is a method of design that ... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) What is guerilla gardening: 1 of 2
Guerrilla gardening is the act of greening a disused or vacant urban space. Because of the laws of property ownership, such an act is usually illegal - and so guerrilla gardening is frequently a clandestine activity, with concerned citizens throwing seed bombs into wasteland or planting up traffic islands in the middle of the... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) How to plant avocado pits: 1 of 1
Planting an avocado pit is a great project for children, and also a very cheap and easy way to grow a beautiful, evergreen houseplant. The avocado pear is a tropical fruit, and if left to its own devices grows into a very large tree, and so isn't the best choice if you are trying to grow a plant that produces edible fruit in ... More..
Home & Garden > Vegetables & Herbs Growing winter squash: 1 of 1
Winter squash are fun plants to grow. First up, you can spend hours reading through the catalogs to pick the perfect variety for you. Do you want to grow a giant pumpkin to win a prize at the local show? Are you kids expecting Halloween lanterns? Or do you want enough fruits to feed you through the winter?Once you've chosen, ... More..
Home & Garden > Vegetables & Herbs Permaculture basics: Layers: 1 of 1
In gardening terms, permaculture is a way of working with nature to decrease inputs (including gardening effort) whilst maximizing outputs (including enjoyment). One of the basic tools in the permaculture design process is layers, also known as stacking.In a natural forest, many plants occupy different ecological niches. Plan... More..
Home & Garden > Annuals Growing amaranth: 1 of 1
Ornamental amaranths are easy to grow, tall plants that will bring an exotic note to your flower borders.Half-hardy annuals, they should be sown thinly where they are to flower, in spring. They can also be sown earlier indoors in pots, for transplanting outside when the danger of frost has passed. Amaranths like to be grown i... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My great, true, personal garden story: 203 of 391
Judging by the number of cats in our neighborhood, my neighbors are all cat people. I don't mind cats myself, when they're not yowling at three o'clock in the morning, but I do mind what they do to my garden.My garden is my pride and joy. It may not be the most beautiful garden in the world, full of flowers and their colors a... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) True gardening stories: What my garden taught me - the hard way: 55 of 88
The previous owners of our house weren't gardeners. The dog had been allowed to dig holes in the lawn and there was garbage buried all over the place. The only plants that weren't dead were the unkillable ones.They weren't good at house maintenance either, and we spent our first year in the house making it fit for human habit... More..
Sciences > Atmosphere & Weather Why I love each season: 5 of 8
When I worked in an air-conditioned office all day, and drove to and from work, my only interaction with the weather was on the short walk to and from the car park. Now that I work from home I'm much more appreciative of the changing seasons and the unique beauty each one has.As a gardener, I love spring - the chance to sow s... More..
Home & Garden > Vegetables & Herbs Long term herbs for the garden: 7 of 11
There are many excellent well-known perennial herbs bay, rosemary, lavender, mints and many others will earn their keep in the long term.If you want to expand your herb garden, there are also many lesser-known perennial herbs to consider.Sorrel is easily grown from seed and thrives in most soils and partial shade. Its large l... More..