Rebel Gardening Quotes

“One of the main practices that helps me a lot in managing pests in my urban garden, but also helps to create symbiotic effects between the plants in my garden, is companion planting. This is when you grow specific plants close to each other with the idea that they will cooperate and thereby enhance each other’s growth, improve flavour, attract beneficial insects that help to pollinate each other and prey on pests, repel nasty pests and more. The first use of this technique is credited to the Native American Iroquois around 1600. They were planting corn using a three-sister farming method. Basically, this is when beans, corn and squash are planted together”
― Alessandro Vitale, Rebel Gardening: A Beginner's Handbook to Creating an Organic Urban Garden

“My favoured method is: 1. Create a cage with chicken wire or netting and a single wooden structure as the base (a pallet works just fine). 2. Cover the pallet with wire mesh or similar to avoid materials falling through. 3. Make an upright hoop of the mesh that will sit on the pallet and secure the ends with cable ties. 4. Fill the cage up with leaves. Make sure they are moist. If they are really dry, water them and check every few months, repeating the process if you find any dry spots. Remember that leaf mould takes a bit longer to decompose than most other organic substances as it’s primarily decomposed by fungal activity. To speed up the process you could add something nitrogen-rich like grass clippings or coffee grounds and it will help to get leaf mould quicker.”
― Alessandro Vitale, Rebel Gardening: A Beginner's Handbook to Creating an Organic Urban Garden

“Certain leaves can really harm plants because of their acidity, so it’s best to avoid them at all times. Don’t be alarmed; they can be included if they only make up a small portion of the mould, although leaving them out is better. It’s best to stay away from things like Acacia, Walnut, Camphor, Eucalyptus, Juniper and Pittosporum.”
― Alessandro Vitale, Rebel Gardening: A Beginner's Handbook to Creating an Organic Urban Garden

“Though something like a strawberry plant may be small, growing one has the same effect as growing a tree or a forest. It can help mitigate global warming by taking in CO2, like any other plant. The difference might be small, but in a situation like ours, every little bit counts.”
― Alessandro Vitale, Rebel Gardening: A Beginner's Handbook to Creating an Organic Urban Garden