The Veg Grower Podcast Podcast Por Richard arte de portada

The Veg Grower Podcast

The Veg Grower Podcast

De: Richard
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If you are interested in growing your own food , then this is the podcast for you. Each week Join Richard Suggett as he shares his experience of growing food in his allotment and back garden.Copyright © Podcasting 2026 Biografías y Memorias Ciencias Sociales
Episodios
  • Episode 653 — Seedlings, Straw Bales & the Aphid Battle Begins

    Episode 653 — Seedlings, Straw Bales & the Aphid Battle Begins
    Apr 13 2026
    This week’s episode takes us from a sun‑soaked kitchen garden to a windswept allotment and finally into the potting shed, where a familiar spring pest has been causing more trouble than usual. With seedlings on the move, potatoes going into the ground, and straw bales warming up for the season ahead, Episode 653 is packed with early‑season momentum — and a few challenges along the way. In the Kitchen Garden: Bees, Weeds & a Big VegePod Move The week began with one of those in‑between moments — waiting for the hairdresser to arrive, not enough time for a big job, but too much time to sit still. So Richard grabbed his gloves and did what many gardeners do: a quick “just a few weeds” session. That small job revealed something wonderful. The brassicas left to flower — Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbages, cauliflower — were alive with bees. Clouds of them. A simple decision to let plants bolt for seed saving has turned into a pollinator magnet, proving how tiny choices can make a huge difference to wildlife. Another major task was finally moving the large VegePod to join the small and medium pods near the shed. After harvesting the last beetroot and parsnips, all the compost was dug out, refreshed with perlite and new compost, and the whole unit shifted a metre back to free up patio space. Freshly sown carrots, parsnips, beetroot and more are already settling into their new home. And of course — it’s April — so it’s been a manic sowing week. Pumpkins, melons, courgettes, squash, French beans, runner beans, cannellini beans… the seed trays are filling fast. Potting on continues daily, though a damaged cold frame lid (thanks to strong winds) has added a small frustration to the week. Down on the Allotment: Potatoes, Shallots & a Green Manure Dilemma Despite the wind, the allotment has been basking in sunshine, and the first walk‑around revealed a plot full of promise. Garlic and onions are thriving under their straw mulch. The apple tree is covered in pink‑and‑white blossom. The pear tree is already forming tiny fruitlets. And self‑seeded poppies are popping up everywhere — a welcome splash of colour and a gift to pollinators. But one bed has raised a question: the winter tares green manure sown in autumn has exploded into lush growth, shading out weeds beautifully. With tomatoes and cucumbers due to go into that bed in four weeks, the debate is whether to cut it now or let it keep working. A classic gardener’s quandary. Potatoes were next on the list — this week’s variety was Wilja, the final second early before main crops begin next week. They went into freshly dug holes with potato fertiliser and a generous topping of homemade compost from the insulated “fridge door” compost bin, which has produced rich, black, crumbly material at impressive speed. Shallots also made an appearance. After struggling to find sets this year, a bag of Red Sun was finally sourced and planted. The plan? Save some for replanting next year. And finally, the straw bale garden is back for another season. Last year’s bales have broken down into gorgeous compost, and this year’s bales are now in the conditioning phase — urea, water, and soon nettle tea. Squash plants will be the stars of this year’s straw bale experiment. In the Potting Shed: The Aphid Problem Returns The final segment of the episode dives into a problem many gardeners are facing right now: aphids on young seedlings. Richard noticed the tell‑tale signs — curled leaves, sticky residue, slow growth — and soon spotted whitefly and greenfly clustered on plants grown indoors. The warm, still air of the kitchen had become a perfect breeding ground. Moving the seedlings to the shed made an immediate difference. Cooler nights and natural airflow helped slow the aphids down, proving once again that environment matters just as much as intervention. True to his ethos, Richard avoids insecticides — even organic ones. Instead,
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    29 m
  • Episode 652 Easter Gardening, Potato Planting & Tackling the Hunger Gap

    Episode 652 Easter Gardening, Potato Planting & Tackling the Hunger Gap
    Apr 6 2026
    This Easter weekend has been a rare treat. Four full days in the garden, decent weather, and plenty of progress across both the allotment and the kitchen garden. In this week’s episode, I share what’s been happening on the plot, the projects completed at home, and my thoughts on the hunger gap as we move deeper into spring. Allotment Update I spent two full days on the allotment and made a real dent in the to‑do list. The first job was cutting the grass. My allotment mower failed last week, so I brought the kitchen‑garden mower down to stand in for now. The old Ryobi will get a closer look soon, but six years of allotment life is not bad going for a budget machine. With the grass sorted, I moved on to potatoes. This week I planted ‘Nicola’, a second early variety I’ve grown many times. That brings me to one and a half beds planted, with the same amount still to go. The compost from the corrugated‑iron bin has mulched the beds beautifully, although that bin is now empty. Next week I’ll find out whether the remaining compost is ready to use. The allotment greenhouse also had a tidy. A large pile of plastic pots has finally been taken home, freeing up space for tomatoes and cucumbers soon. Outside, the beds have been hoed, fed and prepared for the busy month ahead. The brassicas are ready to go into the taller corrugated beds, where netting can be added easily to keep pigeons away. Watering has been important this week. The soil is drying quickly, so the potatoes, onions and garlic have all had a good drink. The garlic looks especially strong, and I’m hopeful the straw mulch may help reduce leek rust by stopping soil splash. The carrots and parsnips in the concrete drainpipes aren’t showing yet, but they’ve been watered and left to settle. With the fruit trees in blossom and the straw bales ready for conditioning, the allotment feels set for the season ahead. Kitchen Garden Update Back home, the other two days of the Easter weekend were spent on long‑planned projects. The biggest job was finally getting electricity into the potting shed. Instead of running mains power, I’ve chosen to use the AllPowers S2000 battery pack — the same one that powered the chainsaw during the tree removal. With an LED overhead light and safe cabling installed, the shed is now a proper workspace for potting on during darker evenings. I also tackled the plastic pot collection. With a new council dustbin arriving, the old bin has been cleaned with Jeyes Fluid and repurposed for pot storage. Clearing this area gave me access to the two‑tier cold frame, which has now been moved beside the greenhouse. It’s already being used to harden off young plants. Inside the greenhouse, the AutoPot system has been cleaned, refilled and planted up with tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, peppers and strawberries. The peach tree and grapevine are still being moved in and out to avoid peach leaf curl, but the greenhouse is now fully in action. In the Kitchen Chef Scott brings an Easter‑themed recipe this week: a roast vegetable hash with herby eggs. It’s a great way to use up leftover veg from Easter lunch, and everything in the dish was home‑grown. Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, leeks and cabbage are chopped, crisped in a pan, mixed with fresh herbs and finished with eggs cooked in small wells. Simple, delicious and perfect for reducing waste. The Hunger Gap In the potting shed, I’ve been thinking about the hunger gap — that awkward stretch where winter stores are almost gone and the new season’s crops aren’t ready yet. The last leeks are looking tired, the kale is bolting, and the freezers are emptying. Meanwhile, the greenhouse is full of seedlings that promise abundance… just not yet. To soften the hunger gap in future years, staggered sowings make a big difference. Overwintered onions, garlic, leeks and hardy salads help carry us through winter. Monthly sowings of leeks, carrots and cabbages spread the harvest across the year....
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    30 m
  • Episode 651: Pea Planting, Beetroot Basics & A Year on the Waterway – Early Spring in the Garden

    Episode 651: Pea Planting, Beetroot Basics & A Year on the Waterway – Early Spring in the Garden
    Mar 30 2026
    This Week in the Kitchen Garden Richard opens this week’s episode by describing that classic early‑spring rush — the moment when the light improves, the soil warms and suddenly everything seems to need doing at once. As he puts it, “everything at the moment seems to be growing at double speed” . He talks about how the overwintered peas under cloches have suddenly surged, even showing their first flowers. With flowers come tendrils, so he’s been adding pea sticks to keep them upright and protected from the wind. Indoors and outdoors, he’s been sowing even more peas to keep the harvests rolling. Back in the potting shed, Richard explains that the seedlings — tomatoes, chilies, aubergines, celery — are growing so fast that some “seem to suddenly outgrow their pots overnight” . Space is tight, so the cold frames are now full, helping to harden off young plants while still shielding them from chilly nights. Seed of the Month: Beetroot Richard’s seed of the month for April is beetroot, with Boltardy taking the lead thanks to its reliability and resistance to bolting. Although beetroot traditionally prefers direct sowing, he admits he gets great results starting them in plug trays, especially on his cold, heavy clay soil. Once they have a couple of true leaves, they transplant beautifully. He also highlights Chioggia for its candy‑stripe rings, Burpees Golden for its non‑bleeding roots, and the fun rainbow mixes. As Richard reminds listeners, “once the beetroot are in the soil, we’ve just got to make sure they don’t dry out” . Down on the Allotment Richard continues his potato‑planting marathon. Last week’s Rocket potatoes have now been joined by Swift, filling the first‑early bed. Between the two varieties he’s sown a row of peas — a nitrogen‑fixing divider and part of his mission to grow more peas than ever this year. He’s also sown another row elsewhere on the plot, simply creating a drill, scattering peas and watering them in. Once they germinate, they’ll get their own pea sticks too. Another job this week was clearing the final leeks from one bed. With that space now free, Richard can weed it and mulch it ready for the season ahead. Mulching remains central to his low‑maintenance approach, though compost is expensive and hard to produce in large quantities. Straw continues to be a major part of his system. He also talks about straw bale gardening, which requires conditioning with high‑nitrogen feed. With urea becoming expensive, Richard is turning to homemade alternatives — particularly nettle tea. As he explains, “nettles, when they are growing, are absorbing nutrients from the soil… that water then takes on the nutrients” . In the Kitchen: Spring Green & New Potato Hash Inspired by all the potato planting, Richard shares a simple, budget‑friendly spring green and potato hash topped with a fried egg. Soft onions, garlic, crisped potatoes, kale, chard and spinach come together with a touch of paprika. The egg adds richness and protein, making it a hearty early‑spring dish. Book of the Week: A Year on the River by Fiona Sims Throughout March, Richard has been reading A Year on the River, a book he describes as “a celebration of seasonal food and sustainable living along the inland waterways” . He explains how Fiona Sims structures the book around the seasons, weaving together growing, foraging, storing and cooking — all from the perspective of life on a canal boat. With over 40 recipes and plenty of practical advice, it’s a book that aligns beautifully with the ethos of the podcast: growing food wherever you are, in whatever space you have. Next month he’ll be reading the RHS title Can I Grow Potatoes in Pots?, which already sounds promising.
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    25 m
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