The Veg Grower Podcast

This week on the Veg Grower Podcast, I took you with me on my annual pilgrimage to Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham — for the very last time at this venue before the show moves to a new location next year. And what a send‑off it was. Right from the moment I stepped into the Beautiful Borders, it was clear that grow‑your‑own is becoming more deeply woven into garden design. As I said in the episode, “I’m already in the beautiful borders and I can already see there’s lots of vegetables incorporated in the design of these gardens.” From chard and strawberries to pumpkins, herbs and even buckets of potatoes, veg was everywhere — and it looked fantastic. Lucy’s ‘Make a Meter Matter’ Garden One of the highlights of the show was catching up with the brilliant Lucy, who created a stunning grow‑your‑own themed border built around the idea that one square metre can make a difference. Her horseshoe‑shaped layout featured nine individual 1m² zones, each packed with ideas for different types of growers. As Lucy explained, “If you can just convert one meter of your outdoor space into somewhere where plants can thrive and grow, then that’s a brilliant thing.” The Kids’ Growing Zones Lucy dedicated three metres to inspiring children to grow: Speedy veg with egg‑head planters, quick lettuces and tactile mint Pizza & pasta plants including basil, rocket and the adorable Micro Tom tomato Smoothie ingredients like blueberries, strawberries, kale and beetroot Her goal was simple: make growing fun, colourful and irresistible. Urban & Rental Gardeners Next came three metres designed for those with balconies, courtyards or tiny spaces: Eco‑warrior zone with coir pots, wooden labels and guerrilla‑gardening seed bombs Party‑goer zone complete with a mini ceramic BBQ (yes — the same one I own!) Gourmet zone featuring Malabar spinach, cucamelons, Japanese parsley and more Fruit in Small Spaces Lucy’s final three metres championed fruit — something she feels is underrepresented. She showcased: Beautifully trained apples Compact currants and strawberries A one‑metre forest garden of “super fruits” Micro‑fruit options for pots As she put it, “Fruit is so underrated and underrepresented in the gardening world.” Exploring the Show & New Ideas After dragging myself away from the show gardens (never easy!), I wandered the stalls, picked up a few tools and plants, and soaked up the atmosphere. I love how these events spark new ideas — even if they make me want to redesign my entire garden. Mushroom Growing with the K Brothers I also sat in on a fascinating talk by the K Brothers, known for their mushroom‑growing kits. Even though I’m allergic to mushrooms, I’m always intrigued by how accessible mushroom cultivation has become. Jodie explained that mushrooms will grow on almost any organic material: “They will grow on any organic material… books or straw or sawdust or cardboard or your old jeans.” Their kits use hardwood sawdust for maximum nutrition, and with daily misting you can harvest mushrooms in as little as three weeks. Plant Expert Stand with Saul Walker

This week’s episode of The Veg Grower Podcast was packed with those subtle but exciting signs that the growing season is waking up. After a rare dry spell on the south coast, I finally managed a full day in the kitchen garden — and it felt good to get stuck in. Kitchen Garden: Early Growth & Essential Tidying With the soil warming, weeds have started to appear, which is always a positive indicator that spring is on the way. Even more surprising was spotting the first early shoots of asparagus pushing through — far earlier than expected, but very welcome. I mulched the asparagus bed with rich worm compost from the wormery, although I did discover a small mouse living beneath the bin. Thankfully, not a rat — and a reminder to keep an eye on things, especially with chickens nearby. I also planted out some strong young leeks that were originally destined for a cancelled project. These were sown in May and have grown beautifully in pots, so they’re now filling an otherwise empty bed. I’ve also started another batch of leek seeds using my usual polystyrene‑box method. Seedlings & Temperature Monitoring Seedlings are everywhere at the moment — chillies, peppers, onions sown on Boxing Day — and they’re finally putting on growth after a slow start. My Bluetooth thermometer in the potting shed continues to be invaluable for tracking temperatures and deciding when to sow. Allotment: Winter Jobs & Greenhouse Prep Despite the rain, I pushed on with allotment jobs. February is always a strange month — half winter, half spring — but I managed to clear prunings, weed, and top up beds with compost. When the rain set in, I moved into the greenhouse for a full clean and sterilise. Broken panes were swept up, frames washed, and everything disinfected with a natural biodegradable cleaner. It’s now ready for the season ahead. The second greenhouse, “The Sergeant,” still needs glazing, but I’m leaning toward covering it with polytunnel plastic — a practical and affordable solution that should get it functional quickly. In the Kitchen: Crispy Veg Pancakes With Shrove Tuesday and Chinese New Year coinciding, I cooked up crispy vegetable pancakes filled with homegrown leeks, cabbage, carrot and onion, finished with a sweet chilli and soy dressing. A delicious way to use winter veg. Grow Lights: Why They’re Becoming Essential This week I also talked about grow lights — something I once thought unnecessary but now consider vital for year‑round growing, especially with limited winter daylight. My older IKEA lights are fading after a decade of use, and last year’s cheap Amazon set hasn’t impressed. But this week I received a sample from a new company, Oasis Grow Lights, and the build quality and brightness immediately stood out. One key feature I love: adjustable chains. My own experiment this year showed that seedlings grown with lights 10cm above them were stockier and stronger than those grown with lights 60cm away. Light distance matters — a lot. I’ll be trialling these new lights properly over the coming weeks, but first impressions are excellent.

Welcome back to another episode of The Veg Grower Podcast. This week has very much been about working with the weather, preparing for the season ahead, and slowing things down where patience is required. From soggy allotment soil and potato bed preparation, to sowing celery in the potting shed, plus a cracking book all about composting, there’s plenty to catch up on. Down on the Allotment: Preparing the Potato Beds It’s been a wet one this week. The ground has been absolutely saturated in places, but despite that, progress has still been made. The main focus on the allotment has been preparing the potato beds. Over winter, green manures have been growing on these beds, and now they’ve been cut down to soil level. Rather than removing the material, everything has been left in place and covered with a couple of inches of compost. This will break down over the next few weeks, adding organic matter and nutrition ready for planting. Potatoes usually go in around 20 March, so this preparation gives the soil time to settle and start doing its thing. Seed potatoes are being handled slightly differently this year too. Instead of buying early and storing them for weeks, they’ve been ordered to arrive towards the end of February. This reduces the need for long chitting and avoids weak, leggy shoots developing too early. Despite the noise from a new nearby road, it’s good to feel like the allotment is moving forward and winter jobs are finally being ticked off. Seed of the Month: Celery Back home in the potting shed, this month’s seed of the month is celery — a crop that often gets an unfair reputation. Celery isn’t difficult, but it is slow and very honest about what it needs. Home-grown celery has far more flavour than shop-bought, and you don’t even need to wait for full heads. Young stems and leaves are perfect for soups and stocks. Celery has been sown early because it needs a long growing season. The seeds are tiny and need light to germinate, so they’re scattered on the surface of the compost rather than covered. They’re then placed into a heated propagator and left alone — patience is key, as germination can take a few weeks. One important point with celery is consistency. It hates drying out and dislikes any checks in growth. This makes sense when you realise celery is a coastal plant by origin, so steady moisture is essential throughout its life. Once seedlings are large enough, they’ll be potted on gradually, grown steadily, and planted out towards the end of April into rich, moisture-retentive soil. With regular watering and feeding, harvesting can begin in late summer. In the Kitchen: Crispy Potato & Leek Hash This week’s recipe is a simple, humble favourite — crispy potato and leek hash with garlic and herbs. With plenty of potatoes in store, leeks still coming out of the ground, and herbs to hand, this felt like the perfect quick midweek meal. Parboiled potatoes are crisped up in a pan before adding leeks, garlic and herbs, finished with seasoning, butter, and a sprinkle of cheese. It’s cheap, filling, adaptable, and ideal for growers cooking from what they’ve got rather than following strict recipes. Book of the Month: Composting by Bob Flowerdew January’s book of the month has been Composting by Bob Flowerdew, and it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book covers what actually happens inside a compost heap, the different ways compost can be made, and the pros and cons of each approach. Rather than telling you how to compost, it gives you the information and lets you decide what works best for you — something that feels very true to gardening as a whole. It’s an easy, readable book that still manages to inspire confidence and encourage you to do more with compost, whether at home or on the allotment. February’s read will be No Dig by Charles Dowding, borrowed from the library and ready to get started.

This week’s podcast is a bit longer than usual, but there’s plenty going on both in the garden and beyond. From steady progress on the allotment, to seed sowing at home, and a fascinating deep dive into beekeeping, it’s been a good week all round. Down on the Allotment After a very wet week, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the allotment had dried out. With no major infrastructure projects planned this year, I’ve been concentrating on tidying problem areas. The space by the shed, where my gooseberries grow, is now almost finished. Brambles and self-seeded trees have been removed, and the gooseberries given a proper prune to remove dead and crossing branches. It already feels like a far more manageable and productive area. I’ve also been doing light tidying in front of the greenhouses and checking over the concrete pipes I’ll be using this year for carrots and parsnips. Speaking of which, I lifted a few carrots, parsnips and leeks for dinner and was impressed by how well the carrots are still holding up in the ground. Next on the list are the autumn raspberries, which need cutting back to ground level, and tackling brambles creeping in from neighbouring plots. In the Kitchen Garden At home, seed sowing is continuing at a steady pace. Alongside the Supporters Club seeds, I’ve been sowing something every day, including basil, dill, cress, tatsoi, sunflower microgreens, sorrel and celery. Some earlier sowings, particularly the chillies started back in December, have now been potted on. Space is starting to become a bit tight under lights and on heat mats, but everything is growing well for now. One of the bigger home jobs this week has been continuing work on the elm tree. It’s slow, careful progress, but safety comes first. While we were outside, the chickens were also allowed to free-range around the garden again, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Beekeeping – A Fascinating Conversation The main feature this week is a long and very interesting chat with Mark from Buzz Into Beekeeping. Beekeeping is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and Mark explains it all brilliantly – from how to get started, to what equipment you really need, how much space a hive takes up, and what’s involved in looking after bees throughout the year. We also talked about swarming, neighbours, garden suitability, and the many benefits of keeping bees, from pollination to honey and beeswax. It’s definitely left me even more inspired to give it a go. Marks email is Maark@buzzintobeekeeping.co.uk You can also find Mark on his instagram https://www.instagram.com/buzzintobeekeeping/ Recipe of the Week This week’s recipe is a creamy garlic and herb root vegetable tray bake, using a mix of potatoes, parsnips, carrots, swede and onions. Simple to make, perfect with a roast, and just as good reheated the next day. If you’ve been thinking about beekeeping, or you’re just curious about how it all works, this is an episode well worth listening to.

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2026. In this week’s podcast I’m easing myself back into the garden after a rough start to the year, sharing what I’ve been up to on the allotment, and tackling one of the most common questions gardeners ask at this time of year: is it too early to sow seeds? You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or using the player below. Allotment Update: Hazel Coppicing & Winter Tidy-Up I managed to get down to the allotment for a gentle session, starting with coppicing my hazel tree. This gives me a brilliant supply of free, sturdy sticks for peas and beans later in the year and saves buying expensive bamboo canes. I also started tidying up a neglected corner around the gooseberries and hazel, clearing brambles and getting it ready for a woodchip mulch. It’s slow progress at this time of year, but every little job makes a big difference. I talk through this in more detail in the podcast, including my plans for the coming weeks. Seed of the Month: Chives January can feel frustrating when you’re desperate to sow seeds, but in reality it’s too early for most crops unless you’ve got heat and grow lights. That’s why this month’s Seed of the Month is chives. Chives are ideal for sowing now on a kitchen windowsill: Sow thinly in a small pot of compost Cover lightly and keep warm and bright Germination takes 2–3 weeks Harvest by snipping as needed They grow well indoors, can be moved outside later in the year, and return year after year. I explain exactly how I grow and use them in this week’s episode. Is It Too Early to Sow Seeds? This is the big topic of the episode. While some seed packets suggest January sowing, it often causes more problems than it solves. Without heated propagators and good light, many seedlings will struggle or grow too quickly before there’s anywhere sensible to put them. In the podcast I share which seeds are worth sowing now, which are best left until later, and how I approach early seed sowing without creating extra work. Recipe of the Week: Leek, Potato & Thyme Soup After cold days in the garden, this week’s recipe is a proper winter warmer: leek, potato and thyme soup. It’s simple, seasonal, and perfect for using home-grown produce. You can find the full recipe on the website. Book of the Month Through out December we read Gardening with Junk by Adam Caplin. A thougughly enjoyable book detailing some simple ways to turn junk items into interesting pots and planters for our plants. January’s book is Composting by Bob Flowerdew, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts as I work through it this month.