Readers' Solutions

Turn your old coffee grounds into a facial, insect & slug repellent, even a deodorant and more!
Gabrielle Anderson |
Thursday, 24th March 2011

A French woman I play music with recently gave me this top tip for re-using coffee grounds. You might already be aware of the benefits of adding old coffee grounds to the compost bin, and...

 

Nettle and Bacon Risotto Recipe
Carl Legge |
Thursday, 17th March 2011

I've added the bacon as a seasoning and the dried tomatoes for flavour and visual interest to Georgio Locatelli basic recipe but you can easily make a vegetarian version with...

 

Food For Free! How To Make Nettle Soup
Annette Stickler |
Tuesday, 15th March 2011

Take heart and leave a small area in the corner of your vegetable patch for this native 'weed', in doing so it will reward you back with its many useful delights. Full of iron and rich in...

 

How To Train Your Dog To Be A Truffle Hound
Nigel Hadden-Paton |
Tuesday, 15th March 2011

All dogs can be trained to search for truffles, the most promising of which is the dachshund, who with their low-slung bodies and keen noses make very good pupils. Here's how you do it.

 

Free Guide to Growing Fruit Available Here!
Dyfi Valley Seed Savers |
Tuesday, 8th March 2011

Dyfi Valley Seed Savers is a not-for-profit organisation, based in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, and run mainly by volunteers. They promote the saving and swapping of seed with the aim of:

*...

 

How To Make a DIY Worm Tower
Brad Rowland |
Thursday, 3rd March 2011

A Worm Tower is basically a length of pipe buried halfway in the ground with holes drilled in the buried part for worms to get in and out. Food scraps are added directly to the tower instead...

 

How To Make Organic Liquid Fertiliser
Maddy Harland |
Thursday, 24th February 2011

Take a barrel with a tap that's not connected to a downpipe. Add rainwater. Then add comfrey leaves (the deep tap root 'mines' the minerals from the soil), stinging nettles and any other weeds (...

 

Recycle an old umbrella into a fold-away cloche
Anne Vine |
Monday, 31st January 2011

On a recent foraging trip, beneath the brambles I found a rusting umbrella covered with clear plastic. It was almost undamaged and on opening it out I realised it would make an excellent...