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© 2025 Master My Garden Podcast
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Master My Garden podcast with John Jones. The gardening podcast that helps you master your own garden. With new episodes weekly packed full of gardening tips, how to garden guides, interviews with gardening experts on many gardening topics and just about anything that will help you in your garden whether you are a new or a seasoned gardener. I hope you enjoy.John
309 Episodes
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Before the tinsel settles and the kettle boils again, we press pause to send a heartfelt Christmas message from our garden to yours. This cosy sign-off wraps the year with gratitude for a community that tunes in from around the world, tries the ideas, shares wins and setbacks, and makes the whole project worth doing. If you’ve ever listened on a commute, sown seeds with earbuds in, or sent a question that helped shape a future topic, this one is for you. We keep it short and warm: a big than...
Weather wrote a dramatic script this year: a stormy opening, a dreamlike spring, a steady but clouded summer, and a rain-soaked autumn that tested paths, beds, and patience. We trace how those swings shaped real decisions in the garden, from staking and sowing to what to protect, what to lift, and when to wait. You’ll hear why an almost flawless spring can carry a season, how to plan for dry spells without overwatering, and why soil structure—not just plant lists—decided who finished strong w...
After a few years of procrastination and hiding I am delighted to launch my grow your own food workshops for 2026. Two dates 21st February & 21st March are the only two dates for this workshop in 2026. Ready to turn gardening advice into fresh salads, sweet strawberries, and a steady stream of herbs from your own space? We’re opening two small-group Grow Your Own Food workshops this spring, built for beginners and seasoned gardeners who want practical, no-nonsense results. Across a...
Ever wonder what gardeners truly need when the skies won’t clear and the soil stays cold and heavy? We open the vault on six years of downloads to reveal the ten most-listened episodes and the lessons they teach us about resilient design, living soils, and planting that thrives despite the weather. This is a practical, story-rich tour through the conversations that changed how we grow. We start with structure and colour: smart garden design and June Blake’s vivid plant choices that keep bord...
Your front door deserves more than a week of glitter. We break down how to build Christmas planters that look festive now, thrive in deep shade, and transition smoothly into spring without waste. The secret is designing for longevity: choose a strong evergreen centrepiece, layer hardy winter colour, and add seasonal touches you can lift out in January. We start with structure. Skimmia japonica tops our list for glossy leaves and vibrant buds that read instantly “Christmas” yet stay handsome ...
Cold weather set the stage and bare root season is off to a flying start. We bring Mattie from Future Forests back on the mic to share straight-talking, field-tested advice on hedging, trees, and the edible surge that’s reshaping Irish gardens. If you’ve ever wondered which whip size actually makes sense, when staking is non‑negotiable, or why those tall instant hedges sometimes flop, this conversation is your blueprint for smarter planting. We dig into the fruit boom: the apple that almost ...
Tired of guesswork and gimmicks? We unpack Christmas gifts that gardeners actually want and use, blending practical tools, cosy comforts, and learning experiences that make a real difference outdoors. Stephen and Eibhlin, long-time listeners at different stages in their gardening journeys, join us to bring fresh ideas that fit small patios, big plots, tight budgets, and thoughtful splurges. We start with essentials that earn their keep: quality secateurs paired with a holster, gloves that ba...
Planning a hedge can feel like a maze: endless species, mixed advice, and pressure to get it right for the long haul. We cut through the noise with a clear framework that starts with purpose, respects your site, and ends with a shortlist you can trust. Whether you want privacy that feels soft, a living windbreak, neat garden rooms, or a wildlife corridor buzzing with life, you’ll find practical picks and honest trade-offs. We dive into deciduous stalwarts like beech and hornbeam, explaining ...
A warm, rain-soaked week and a thoughtful listener email sparked a timely deep dive into a familiar garden tension: how do you build a biodiversity-rich space that everyone agrees looks beautiful? We take you step by step through turning a former lawn into a living ecosystem, balancing what pollinators need with what people want to see. If you’ve ever faced the “it looks messy” critique, this guide offers design moves that flip the script without sacrificing wildlife value. We start by reset...
A single pepper from a Ukrainian market changed everything. That first bite—thick flesh, layered sweetness, a whisper of heat—sent us and our guest, Adam Alexander (the Seed Detective), down a path that connects flavour, resilience and the quiet power of gardeners who save seed. This is a celebration of living varieties that learn your soil and light, improve with each season, and taste far better than supermarket sameness. We dig into the craft of selection: saving seed from the earliest, m...
What if your garden boundary could feed you, shelter wildlife, and still keep a clean line against the field next door? We dive into the art of building an edible hedge that does real work: a thorny native backbone for structure and stock-proofing, layered with fruiting shrubs, nuts, and small trees that lift harvests through the seasons. Starting with hawthorn and blackthorn as the core, we show how holly adds winter presence and bird food, while hazel punctuates the run with future nut crop...
The garden might look like it’s winding down, but this is where the smart gains happen. We dig into why autumn gives trees and shrubs a head start: soil stays warm, air cools, energy shifts below ground, and roots quietly get to work while you do less. If you’ve ever been told to wait for spring, you’ll hear exactly how that advice costs time, water, and success. I walk through the plant physiology that makes September to November a sweet spot for establishment, then compare it with the real...
A windswept island garden, a storm‑proof polycrub, and a no‑dig mindset that turns soil into a living engine—this conversation with Lovely Greens’ Tanya Anderson is a masterclass in practical, organic resilience. We head to the Isle of Man to unpack how climate shapes design, why keeping crops low beats the wind, and how a Shetland‑born polycrub unlocks peppers and aubergines where summer heat rarely arrives. Along the way, we explore wood chip paths that become compost, perennial borders tha...
Your home can feel calmer in minutes—no renovation, no paint—just smarter, kinder plant choices. We sat down with Louise Ryan, plant lover and founder of Sunfleck in Dungarvan, to unpack how indoor greenery genuinely lowers stress, shapes better rooms, and becomes a deeply personal part of daily life. Louise brings the science and the soul: from the psychology of green and texture to practical steps that stop plant funerals. We dig into the essentials: how to judge your light properly, why d...
Ever wondered how to create a garden that works with nature rather than against it? In this captivating conversation, filmmaker and permaculture practitioner Shane Hatton shares the remarkable evolution of Bosco's Garden in County Kilkenny – a living laboratory where permaculture principles have created a thriving ecosystem. Shane's journey began simply with a polytunnel and a raised bed in 2012, experiencing the typical failures and successes of a beginning gardener. The watershed moment ca...
Autumn's fiery display has arrived slightly earlier this year in Irish gardens, with drought-stressed trees and shrubs responding to recent winds and rain by transforming their foliage into spectacular shades of red, orange, and gold. This timing creates the perfect opportunity to witness these botanical performers at their peak and introduce them to your own garden landscape. This episode reveals my carefully curated list of ten exceptional plants for autumn color, divided between shrubs an...
Imagine transforming your garden with a beautiful perennial border—all grown from seed at a fraction of the cost of buying established plants. This episode kicks off our exciting Perennial Grow Along project, guiding you through the entire journey from seed to spectacular flowering plants. Growing perennials from seed isn't just economical; it fills gardeners with immense pride. There's something truly special about nurturing a tiny seed into a magnificent flowering plant that will grace you...
Gardening isn't static—it evolves as we learn, as plants grow, and as our vision for our outdoor spaces changes. Today's episode tackles the art and science of moving plants within your garden, a skill that frees you to redesign without starting over or breaking the bank. We begin by exploring the foundational principle of "right plant, right place" that should guide your initial planting decisions. Understanding your garden's conditions and matching them to plant requirements can prevent th...
Wondering what to plant as summer wanes? Don't put away those seed packets just yet! September offers the perfect conditions for establishing winter-hardy crops that will provide fresh harvests throughout the coldest months. This episode explores the often-overlooked opportunities of September sowing, focusing on crops that thrive when planted now. While the list may be shorter than spring and summer guides, these strategic plantings deliver exceptional value. Discover which lettuce varietie...
Spring flowering bulbs are gardening's ultimate return on investment. Planted from September through November, these botanical powerhouses burst forth from winter's grip with waves of colour that evolve from the first snowdrops after Christmas through magnificent tulips and alliums in late May. What sets bulbs apart from other garden plants is their remarkable ability to naturalize—multiplying year after year with zero additional effort. Plant a single daffodil bulb this autumn, and next spr...
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