They are easy to raise, slugs leave them alone and the fruit come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, often with a flavour that is hard to match in the shops.It’s also really easy to save the seed of varieties you like, and grow them again the next year.
Flower visiting insects are vital pollinators of the food we eat and their dramatic decline and loss of health is a major cause for concern.
Pollinators are diverse, including bumblebees, hoverflies, solitary bees, butterflies and honeybees. The loss of flower-rich habitat, climate change and pesticide use has had a major impact on both our wild and managed pollinators.
Butterflies are far less common now than they were seventy years ago and you don’t have to look hard to see why. Since the 1940's, we have lost 97% of flower rich meadows together with much heathland, ancient woodland and peat bogs.
Even common butterflies have lost out as hedges and field edges rich in wild flowers and grasses have gone under the plough. So what can we do to help?
Have you always wanted to grow your own vegetables, but don’t think it’s viable due to a lack of space (or even the absence of a garden altogether)?
Adam is a Welsh gardener trying to live a self sustainable life growing and raising food in a small corner of Wales. Here he shares with us his inspirational back garden that is full of food abundance, nature, and joy.
