Your guide to going organic

Be kinder to the planet this year by being a more green gardener

Fashions come and go in gardening. Remember the craze for blue fence paint during the Ground Force years? Or how allotment waiting lists went berserk after the Credit Crunch? One trend that looks here to stay, however, is organic gardening.

Rather than being a fad, the shift to gardening in harmony with nature continues to gain momentum. And that’s not surprising, because a succession of TV gardeners, from Geoff Hamilton to Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don, have spent decades encouraging us to grow flowers and vegetables in a manner that’s kinder to the planet.

Organic gardening is about recycling, reducing our dependency on man-made products and attracting beneficial wildlife to plots. If your New Year’s resolution is to embrace a greener way of gardening, follow our guide to getting started.