Posts by Kate Poland
The Citizen Gardener: No Mow May
Kate Poland on lawns, and why a little bit of chaos is not always a bad thing
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: Green corridors
Kate Poland on the importance of travel for plants, insects and animals – and how we can all protect them with a little helping hand
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: The Uncompostables
Kate Poland on the ‘little porkie pies wheeled out about biodegradable plastics’
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘It’s time to start planning’
Kate Poland on seed-saving and experimentation
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘It’s easier to erect a building than plant a tree’
Kate Poland on why we need to tip the scales in favour of nature
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Many of our open spaces would not exist without campaigns or protests’
Kate Poland gives us lemons – how to grow them and put them to use – and a fascinating history of the people who have crusaded for our local parks
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Even if pesticides don’t kill a bee, they impede its ability to navigate’
Kate Poland on how to grow garlic, why organic bulbs are best, a ‘weed walk’ in Homerton, and free resources to help growers through winter
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Even looking at a picture of a river or a wood can improve your mood’
Kate Poland on the mental health benefits of plants, efforts to ‘normalise’ gardening for Black and minority ethnic people, and some surprisingly speedy snails
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: Contested Spaces
Kate Poland on the battle for land, a planning overhaul and an eye-opening podcast about climate change
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘We can do our bit to save water’
Kate Poland on an impending water crisis in the UK, and what gardeners can do to help protect this precious resource
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Be radical and grow your own food’
Kate Poland on how we can take advantage of the increased interest in food-growing during lockdown
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘There are some inspiring online activities for those who love the outdoors’
Award-winning community gardener Kate Poland has put together a comprehensive list of websites and organisations providing a virtual escape during lockdown
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Seeds are now as elusive as Glasto tickets’
Kate Poland on the huge demand for her free seeds and how we can take control of a monopolised supply chain
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘There is no waste in nature’
Kate Poland on how we can reduce rubbish in the garden
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘In nature, plants look after themselves, but people can forget, go away, or just give up’
Kate Poland’s guide to growing in small spaces, based on her first year as the gardener for an entire Hackney postcode
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘A lack of plant diversity means one in five species could be under threat’
Kate Poland on the biodiversity crisis, how individuals can plough their own furrow amid the seed industry’s oligopoly, and why sprouts are not just for Christmas
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘An urban garden at night brings wildness and community’
Kate Poland on how developments are disrupting the important balance of natural light and darkness for community spaces, why she’s happier knitting at night, and how a group of local gardeners have put the borough on the map in Europe
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘My friend’s dad used to say a garden is made in winter’
Kate Poland on how to use the cold months to renew your garden, why leaves should be left alone, and how growing spaces can help tackle food poverty
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘I’m steering clear of garden centre plants’
Kate Poland on pesticides, the launch of a gardening union, and putting community spaces on the map
Read MoreThe Citizen Gardener: ‘Turn dead, grey space into stepping stones for insects’
Kate Poland on green infrastructure and how we can make it work in Hackney and beyond
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