A vegetable garden doesn’t seem the obvious place to fight climate change but in Zero-Waste Gardening Ben Raskin demonstrates that small changes among the brassicas and onions can have a big impact.
Growing peat-free, reusing plastic pots and saving water have long been held up as steps gardeners can take but his new book argues that conserving seed and avoiding throwing away crop gluts are also important.
Utopia for conservationists is a circular cycle of resources where nothing in society is wasted. It’s something which he admits may not be completely possible but adds that “we can all do more to help reduce our impact on climate and nature”.
I was given a copy of the book in return for a review.
Drawing on his work as Head of Horticulture at organic growing charity the Soil Association, he outlines an approach to growing fruit and vegetables that minimises waste and makes the most of crops.
It begins with seeds, so often seen as a cheap commodity rather than a valuable resource. Over-sowing, low germination, or poor growing skills that result in crop loss are, he says, all a waste of valuable resources.
“If we can improve our raising and growing skills we can reduce waste.”
It’s a concept that goes through cultivation methods – use hand tools rather petrol-powered – to harvest and storage that will avoid wasting fruit and veg.
Good planning underpins his approach: spacing crops to use ground wisely; putting in quick crops, such as radish, around slow growers to maximise the space; avoiding the waste of having things mature while you’re away on holiday.
Zero-Waste Gardening opens with an overview of how to grow and what to choose. There’s advice on preparing the ground, how many plants you sensibly need to grow and which are ‘small space big rewards’ crops.
Also discussed are the most efficient way of raising plants, how to reduce water waste and just how many tools you really need to garden.
The book moves from the vegetable plot into the kitchen with tips on storage from freezing and bottling to pickling and drying. There are also some basic recipes, such as tomato sauce, which will allow you to make best use of a large crop.
“The key is to be flexible in using what comes out of the garden,” we’re told.
This includes parts of the plant that are often discarded and suggestions include putting carrot tops in soups, onion skin in stock and chilli seeds in herbal teas.
The second half of Zero-Waste Gardening is a more in-depth look at individual crops, although this is not a ‘how to grow’ guide in the traditional sense. Rather than discussing varieties and sowing depths, these entries are concerned with ideas for maximizing the crop, what can be used on the plant, and avoiding waste by dealing with gluts.
Swiss chard, for example, is widely grown for its spinach-like leaves but the roots can also be eaten while cucumber flowers can be added to salads. Rhubarb leaves, which are toxic due to their high levels of oxalic acid, can be used to smother weeds on bare ground, or boiled up in water to clean burnt pans.
While the book doesn’t aim to make us all self-sufficient or reduce our carbon footprint to zero, following its advice would be a step in the right direction.
Zero-Waste Gardening by Ben Raskin, illustrated by Alice Pattullo, is published by Frances Lincoln with an RRP of £14.99. You can buy it here for £11.09. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.)
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