Garden Practice
Harvesting Rainwater: What Your Roof Yields, Barrel vs. Cistern
Work out how much rainwater your roof delivers, then decide whether a barrel is enough or a cistern pays off.
Gartenkern Magazine
Notes from the garden.
What's new, what's growing, what we're learning. Updates, guides and stories for people who take their garden seriously.
From the magazine
200 postsGarden PracticeContains advertising
Holiday Watering: What Lasts Three Days and What Lasts Two Weeks
Stopgap solutions put to an honest test: which method carries three days, which a week, and what you really need for a fortnight.
Garden PracticeContains advertising
Building Garden Paths and Bed Edgings
Why the base layer decides how long your paths last, and how living edgings of box, lavender or thyme can replace the hard stone border.
Garden Practice
Winterize Your Garden Tools: Clean, Oiled, Frost-Safe
In CW 44 to 48 you get your spade, shears and batteries clean, oiled and frost-safe through the winter.
Garden Practice
Basic Tool Kit: Eight Pieces Instead of a 40-Piece Set
Eight good garden tools are all you need to start; how to spot quality and where to save.
Self-Sufficiency
Canning and Preserving: The Basics Done Safely
Why acidity decides whether a jar is safe, and how to handle beans and squash the right way.
Self-Sufficiency
Make Your Own Juice and Syrup: A Year in Bottles
From elderflowers in May to the apple press in October: how to bottle the summer and enjoy it all year long.
Garden Practice
Sharpen and Care for Your Garden Tools: Angle, Resin and Rust
The right angle on the whetstone, plus resin and rust as the hidden blade killers: how to keep your garden tools sharp for years.
Self-Sufficiency
Fermenting: Sauerkraut and Vegetables With Nothing But Salt and Patience
Sauerkraut, salt-brined cucumbers and more: how to preserve autumn vegetables with just two percent salt, keep everything under the brine, and tell harmless kahm yeast apart from mould.