If push comes to shove...?

ceridwen

For those of us who have to make do with a "pocket handkerchief" of a garden or the like - I've got a thing about balcony gardens (many lessons to be learnt about managing to get "something" with even a tiny inadequate amount of space...). Someone on another thread pointed me to:

http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/

He's certainly made a lot out of a little:)

Kirri

ceridwen wrote: »

For those of us who have to make do with a "pocket handkerchief" of a garden or the like - I've got a thing about balcony gardens (many lessons to be learnt about managing to get "something" with even a tiny inadequate amount of space...). Someone on another thread pointed me to:

http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/

He's certainly made a lot out of a little:)

What an inspiring site, the photos are great!
Even though I have an allotment, seeing those pics makes me want to move flats to one with a balcony.. I tried using the border below my flat window but the gardeners just stood on or weed sprayed my plants

RAS

rhiwfield

Beddington and a few others share your concern http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12249909

[Deleted User]

I think we are being groomed to accept gm food

no way

[Deleted User]

are preserving cookers the same as canners?

http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/store/pages.php?page=home

cootambear

kittie wrote: »

I think we are being groomed to accept gm food

no way

why not? higher yields can result using less water, fertiliser and pesticides

RAS

cootambear wrote: »

why not? higher yields can result using less water, fertiliser and pesticides

Except to date, GM crops have failed to acheive any of the these once out in the field, and most rely anyway on unsustainable quantities of fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides, all derived from fossil fuels.

cootambear

RAS wrote: »

Except to date, GM crops have failed to acheive any of the these once out in the field, and most rely anyway on unsustainable quantities of fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides, all derived from fossil fuels.

I don`t you where you get your information from, its simply prejudice probably stemming from Dark Green propoganda.

from wiki;

Several benefits have been widely accepted and are uncontested in the scientific literature. These include reductions in insecticide use on GE cotton [4], enhanced biological diversity in GE cotton fields ( compared to non-GE fields [5], enhanced farmer income [6] and communal benefits [7], increased yields for poor farmers [8] and improved health of farmworkers [9]. Although the use of herbicide tolerant crops remain controversial, because of the need to spray herbicides, it is clear that the use of these crops has promoted a shift to less toxic herbicides

RAS

Yep

Exactly as you said "Although the use of herbicide tolerant crops remain controversial, because of the need to spray herbicides, it is clear that the use of these crops has promoted a shift to less toxic herbicides."

Since those herbicides will no longer be available or will cost a fortune (and I mean a fortune), GE varieties are not sustainable.

Why do you think so many new cotton farmers in India committed suicide? Because they could not afford the chemicals needed to grow their new miracle GE cotton plants well enough to earn more than they did before they converted to the new "miracle" seeds.

rhiwfield

RAS wrote: »

rhiwfield

Beddington and a few others share your concern http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12249909

RAS, I agree with much in the report, but for the UK I believe that families will begin to suffer from affordability of food rather than shortages, in fact I think that is already happening.

I wont repeat the arguments for more UK grown food that have already been well made by others. In fact even Countryfile on Sunday reported on this. From a UK perspective we have the ability, even in cities, to grow some of our own food and reduce reliance on global imports. I'd go along with Greyqueen and suggest its a moral imperative to grow food (sustainably). And I'd much rather we were in a position to export sustainably produced food rather than having to import so much of what we eat.