Organic Gardening Magazine

Features

6 Good enough to eat
No space for veg – or not enough for all the possibilities? Don’t let yourself be limited by the confines of your veg patch, says Helen Penrose – meet the varieties fit for the flower border!

12 In favour of fennel
It may be trendy, says Joyce Russell – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a contender for space in a good old-fashioned veg plot. Fennel is a flavour of the month that will be around for a while!

18 Space invaders
As May moves into June, the weeds seem to double in size with every damp night. Paul Hending has the low-down on organic strategies to keep you on top of the problem.

24 Bargain bins
Without the right bin, making compost isn’t easy – and they cost a fair bit to buy. Dave Bevan provides a step by step guide to kitting yourself out with a pair of New Zealand bins – for less than a fiver!

28 Fresh and local
We may dream of self-sufficiency in fruit and veg – but in the meantime there are a host of inspiring local enterprises where we can trim our food miles to the minimum, says Ann Somerset Miles.

38 Wild about mints
For bee pulling power, there are few wild flower families to match the mints, says Jenny Steel.

40 A cut above
Pruning inspires fear like no other gardening operation – but it’s not rocket science. Paul Hending starts a new series of monthly guides to what to prune when.

46 I don’t need a bag...
Garden centres seem oblivious to current concerns about overpackaging, says John Walker – and they’re giving us their own waste to dispose of too.

Offers

27 Subscribe!
Reserve your personal copy of OG each month.

48 OG offers
A host of pruning and weeding tools – all at special reader prices!

56 Giveaway
Two £129 EARTHMAKER compost bins – and 75 Grass Snake Cable Grips – to be won!

Regulars

16 Summer squash on a page
Christina Maxfield tells you all you need to know – on just one page!

32 This month in your garden
Helen Penrose checks off jobs coming up in June.

36 Gardener in the kitchen
Seasonal recipes from Anna Corbett.

42 Q&As
Christina Maxfield answers your queries.

44 Plot line
Mark Patterson unravels the tale of the hill farmers who have found a new use for their fleeces.

50 Tom Petherick’s garden diary
Is it time we were taking a leaf out of the forest gardeners’ book and moving from annual crops to perennial planting? Tom Petherick thinks it might be.

52 Organic news
John Greenway and Kate Chancellor report.

54 The permaculture plot
Terraces bring new possibilities to the permaculture garden – and there’s no need to write them off just because you garden on the flat, says Paul Jennings.

57 Letters
Your news, views and comments.

58 Down the garden path
Mat Coward has the last word

60 Resources
What’s new in the organic marketplace?

62 Out & about
Upcoming events for gardeners.

64 Next month
A look ahead to what’s coming up in the August issue of OG, out 5 July.