This time of year, I am usually spending as much time as possible walking through the forest foraging for hedgehog mushrooms. Unfortunately, it has barely rained since the first week of July, and there are no mushrooms at all in the forest. Luckily for you, we have an edition chock full of mushroom growing and foraging tips and tricks. Our editor, Catherine Sherriffs, talks to foraging expert Whitney Johnson in ‘Go Forth and Forage – Helping Baby Foragers Blossom into Mushroom Warriors.’ We get more excellent advice in ‘Enter the Mushroom Chamber: Dialling in the Perfect Conditions for Your Grows‘ from our mushroom expert Alex Field, and in ‘Professional POV – Q&A with Steve Gallo: Growing the Future with Mushrooms.’ Steve is an old friend who has, quite by accident, become a successful mushroom farmer.
If you don’t really care about mushrooms, we have a couple of gardening gems. In ‘It’s Zyme Time… Whatever that Means!’ Av Singh dives into enzymes, explaining what they are and how they can help gardeners maximise their plants’ potential. Another hot topic these days is under canopy lighting. It’s not a new concept, but one that is definitely gaining momentum. Everest Fernandez tries to set the record straight between fact and hype in ‘The Curious Case of Upside-Down Lights.’
On another topic, keeping your room free of pathogens such as powdery mildew can be an absolute nightmare. Enter chlorine dioxide, a chemical that is new to me and has been a savior, and will forever be part of my gardening SOPs.
Whether you are growing mushrooms, vegetables, flowers, or medicine, this edition will be both educational and inspirational.
A big thank you to Jacob Rolfe, an artist from Canada’s east coast, whom I was lucky enough to meet at a trade show last Spring in Toronto. He designed and hand-drew the cover. Check out his work at baaam.ca, and read all about him in our Artist Spotlight.
Happy Gardening!
Catherine Sherriffs admits her first mushroom foraging trips weren’t fruitful, but Whitney Johnson, author of Go Forth and Forage, tells her to keep hunting!
We can’t tell you his name, but you need to know about Allotment Fight Club. His gardening space in Cardiff is a break from his super-secret day job.
Emma Corns turned to gardening as a way to help her get through the darkest period in her life. Today, her garden and greenhouse are her sanctuaries.
Martyna Krol shares a childhood memory of stomping on cabbage with her cousins in Poland to make sauerkraut! Plus, some recipes for boosting gut health.
