Sepp Holzer (who wrote this book Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture) is an Austrian farmer, who until recently farmed the Kramertehof – 45 hectares of land 1500m above sea level. He is known as a guru of Permaculture. Although it seems the methods he follows are similar in philosophy to those of permaculture – to live lightly on the land, to garden with instead of in opposition to nature – he has very much developed his own interpretation of how to grow food, keep livestock and earn a living off his land. Here is Sepp Holzer on video – though it is …

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  We have been asked to share a recipe for seed compost but, as always happens, it turns out there is far more to it than we originally thought… Marina Christopher’s Seed Sowing Compost Recipe “I mix equal parts of a sterilised peat-based seed compost with a soil-based John Innes formula (it really doesn’t matter if it is grade 1, 2 or 3) and a 1-3mm washed grit. This is all passed through a large mesh sieve (approx 1 sq cm) to remove the largest particles. Mix it all up in a large clean wheelbarrow and you get a heavy, …

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Container gardening is probably where most people who want to grow their own food start, especially if they live in the city and have no more space for soil to grow plants in than a windowbox. (Although those who are a little more creative may turn a car park into a pot garden…) Even with all the books written on container growing, it seems to be difficult to do – we often visit a client and see a random assortment of pots housing half-dead plants in desperate need of attention. What is to be done about this? Here are what we …

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