Practical guidance on building healthier soil, making and using compost, and applying permaculture principles to create productive, resilient gardens that improve over time.
Autumn gardening is less about making everything look perfect and more about spotting the jobs that will actually matter once the weather turns colder, wetter and windier. A little attention now can save a lot of trouble later.
Permaculture sounds more complicated than it is. Here’s what it actually means, the three basic ethics behind it, and why you may already be using permaculture ideas in an ordinary garden without realising it.
Don’t throw away autumn leaves. Turn them into free leaf mold to improve garden soil, hold moisture and mulch flower beds. This simple guide explains the easy bag and wire-bin methods, which leaves to use and how long leaf mold takes.
Healthy garden soil is full of life, even though most of it is too small to see. Here is a simple introduction to the bacteria, fungi, worms and other tiny workers living beneath your plants—and a few easy ways to help them do their job.
Compacted garden soil does not usually need digging out and replacing. Learn how to loosen it carefully, add organic matter around existing plants and improve one area at a time without turning the whole garden into a building site.