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From Pigeon and Hedgehog
When you come across us in the streets Please say hello and give us a little wave. If you see any of our kin in trouble Please help, we’re trying very hard to be brave. Life is so difficult for us these days We have lost our homes and family members too. We try to…
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Update March/April 2024
Dear supporters and friends, It has been six months since my last update, and I thought I would write to let you know about the progress we have made since, thanks to your support which started the ball rolling, and thus fulfilling my dream of getting Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners, written in memory of the…
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Know your critters
Click here to download your Scavenger Hunt Sheet. We all know about bees and how important they are, because, well, they’re cute. But what about the brown and grey unloved little beings that live underground, that work very hard all year round to sustain the earth? So who are they, and what do they do? In general,…
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Growing with the seasons
This is the question I get asked by schools: “How will this work? The students are on summer holidays when the flowers and fruits are ready for harvesting.” I get asked this question, too: “Should we start in spring?” I always say, working with the soil is something you do as a part of your…
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Cactus Pete (and his smelly feet)
Cactus Pete’s family came from A hot country with desert heat Where the sun shines constantly And it rains only a tiny little bit. But the Cactus Petes are fine With just a little water they grow They collect moisture with their spikes The smartest plants you will ever know. Now, Cactus Pete lives in…
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How to Support Bees
The rise of urban agriculture Urban areas now account for more than half of the world’s population. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in cities, with rapid urbanisation happening in low-income countries. With this population shift, it becomes more important than ever to develop sustainable urban agriculture:…
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October’s Plant of the Month: Ox-eye daisy
One of the lovely plants that is featured in Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners is the ox eye daisy (leucanthemum vulgare). Why it is important to grow ox eye daisies Many would consider ox eye daisies a weed because they grow everywhere and without anyone planting them in the first place! But they are very…
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Sayur Manis (Borneo)
As part of the World Garden School Programme (see attached), we get to know Sayur Manis (sauropus androgynus), a popular plant from Borneo. Watercolour (work-in-progress) by Almas Binti Abdul Kadir. “Sayur manis“ simply means sweet vegetable in the Malay language. It tastes like spinach but more flavoursome, as if this plant had been crossed with…
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Growing plants from cuttings
For me, there is nothing more satisfying than growing plants from cuttings, rather than buying them ready grown. There’s such excitement when you see new roots emerging from your cuttings. This is the roots of the cheese plant named Franky Big Cheese. He looks like a little man with tiny legs and a big face.…
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Apple and berry oat crumble
In autumn, apples abound in community orchards and berries are popping out profusely. This is a wonderful, simple recipe to get young children to start on the wholly satisfying journey of cooking and eating the food they grow or forage. NOTE: If you live in a country where you can’t access apples and berries, you…
Cheese Plant Books 