The Organic Gardening Podcast

This month, Fiona meets Åsa Gregers-Warg, head gardener at Beth Chatto Plants and Gardens. They tour the gardens, and reflect on Beth Chatto’s legacy, discussing how we can adapt our gardens to promote resilience and withstand changing environmental conditions. “We haven't used any herbicides or pesticides for the last few years. And we all have to be water wise these days as well. It started off with the gravel garden being the only part of the garden that was never irrigated. But since a couple of years ago, we don't water the rest of the gardens either.” Also in this episode… Fiona and Chris are preparing their gardens for winter, even in the cooler months there’s still plenty to do! In the postbag, the team tackle questions on reusing old compost, dealing with coddling moth, and why it's crucial not to leave soil bare at this time of year. Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com.

It's safe to say the weather has been incredibly unusual this year. A wet cold spring was followed by a slug-filled summer. And here in the Midlands, we’ve already experienced our first frosts!  Sally Morgan, author of the Resilient Garden Handbook, has been tackling these challenges head on. She speaks with Fiona about what makes a resilient garden, and how we can overcome unusual growing conditions.  “We’re perhaps the first generation of gardeners who can't look back to their grandfathers and ask for advice. I know what my grandfather would tell me and it's totally not applicable to today's style of gardening and conditions. So we’re learning on the job. Everybody will be different because everybody's micro-habitat is different to the next.” Also in this episode… Fiona and Chris are already planning next year's food growing, and Chris encourages you to keep on sowing - even through the winter months. In the postbag, the team tackle a complicated compost query, and investigate some troublesome tomatoes. Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com

As the nights draw in, Chris sits down with Nick Dunn, professor of urban design at Lancaster University. Nick is also the founding director of the Dark Design Lab, exploring the impacts of nocturnal activity on nature. Nick enlightens us about the role darkness plays in our gardens and artificial light's impact on the wider environment.  “What light pollution basically does is it alters the way plants and animals behave. The classic example is of moths being drawn to bright lights. But beyond that it's much more serious because it can interfere with important feeding, mating, navigating and also prey-predator relationships”  Also in this episode… Despite the late start, Fiona and Chris celebrate their growing successes, and tell you why you should try “seed rambling”.  From the postbag, the team troubleshoot how to bring life to contaminated clay soil, what you can do with a problematic rosemary bush and how to rescue a diseased rose.     Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com

Fiona chats with Nick Mole, Policy Officer from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK who shares why pesticides should be banned from use in our urban spaces, and how communities can be affected by pesticide use.    “Knowing that there are alternatives to pesticides that do work, pesticide use in our towns and cities is completely unnecessary. France has banned the use of all non-agricultural pesticides. They have legislation in place and it works. It is often hard, councils are facing all sorts of difficulties. So we do need that support from our legislators.”    Also in this episode…  Chris and Fiona discuss why hardy annuals are popping up in Chris’ allotment now, and look forward to September seed sowing. From the postbag, the team troubleshoot a late flowering courgette, and with the help of listeners, find out what animal was causing last month’s strawberry piles! Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com Sign the petition to ban the use of pesticides in urban spaces https://pesticidecollaboration.org/go-pesticide-free/

What do bed sheets, hessian and bacteria have in common? They might help us reduce the amount of plastic we use in our veg plots!  Award-winning author, gardener, peat- and plastic-free advocate Sally Nex shares fascinating advice for reducing, reusing and recycling the 500 million pots, seed trays, and other bits of plastic we get through in our gardens every year in the UK. “When we chip a pot and it goes directly into our soil, it's going to stay there for the next 400 years,” says Sally. “Experiments have shown that earthworms, which are living in soils high in microplastics, lose weight and soil biodiversity is a fraction of what it is in clean soils.” Also in this episode… Chris and Fiona chat about the delay in germination and plant growth due to the cool start to the summer – and reassure that it’s not too late to sow now. From the postbag, Anton advises on using organic slug pellets, and the team mull over what creature might be creating ‘strawberry piles’!

We’ve got a double bill this month to help you save more water in your garden over the summer. We’re joined by Jo Osborn from the charity Waterwise – who tells us that in England alone, we face a potential water deficit of close to 5,000 million litres of water every day by 2050. She shares how crucial it’s we conserve more of it in our homes and gardens. And climate change gardening guru Sally Morgan talks rainwater and grey water harvesting. She reveals ways to water plants more effectively, and the importance of soil health. “No dig is important because we don't want to disturb the fungi in the soil,” she says. “Most plants have a relationship with the mycorrhizal that extends beneath the plant – and it’s this fungus network that does the watering for them, finding water in the soil.” Also in this episode… We'll be answering your questions about how to deal with box hedge moth, what to do about allotment-loving ants, and how to tackle chilies that are not hot.

In this month’s Organic Gardening Podcast, Chris Collins chats to Nick Hamilton – son of organic gardening pioneer Geoff Hamilton – and finds out more about his gardening journey and life at his beloved Barnsdale Gardens. We’ve always had a close relationship with the gardens and Nick, a former Garden Organic trustee, and shared many planting schemes and plant cuttings over the years. Our ‘Paradise Garden’ (now part of Coventry University), with its pergolas and pond, was built to commemorate Nick’s father and TV gardener Geoff.  More than 25 years ago, Nick had what seemed like an impossible task – taking over a collection of 30 or so organic gardens designed for television and turning them into a visitor attraction aimed at inspiring people to grow organically. In 2023, Barnsdale marked its 40th anniversary.  “I don't have any problem with people referring to me as the son of Geoff as I'm very proud to be his son. The gardens are his legacy…and still rolling on today,” says Nick. “I want to continue to show organic gardening is not complicated or difficult - it's easy! And because you're working in tandem with nature, nature helps you along the way.” Also in this episode… Chris and Fiona chat about our Every Garden Matters research paper – showing small steps in any size garden can have a positive impact on biodiversity. And from the postbag, we tackle how to safely dispose of laurel debris and old garden pesticides, and discuss whether we should feed birds all year round.

Chris Collins chats to Josiah Meldrum, co-founder and owner of Hodemedods, about growing beans and pulses in the UK climate. Josiah explains how Hodemedods works with British farmers to supply pulses, such as lentils and chickpeas, in as sustainable way as possible and often using organic methods. He shares some varieties that can grow well in our gardens and how they grow more unusual crops such as chickpeas and lentils. He also shows how easy it is for British gardeners to overlook the multiple uses of beans. “People miss a trick in the UK when it comes to runner beans. We tend to think of them as something you harvest green, but the rest of the world don't do that: they also dry them,” says Josiah.  “In Poland, they've got a fantastic tradition of growing and harvesting these delicious white runner bean seeds…and in Greece, you'll have giant ‘Gigantes’. I would encourage everyone to save beans and eat them. The scarlet runners and the white seeded beans are absolutely delicious!” Also in this episode… Anton reveals how to grow ‘green chickpeas’, and whether it’s worth growing a crop of lentils. From the postbag, he discusses how to deal with moss on vegetable plots, and Chris and Fiona chat about the effects of the wet and windy spring. Many thanks to our sponsor Andermatt Garden, which offers high quality environmentally-sustainable products for the home and garden at andermattgarden.co.uk.

To celebrate Food Waste Action Week (18-24 March), Chris Collins and David Garrett join Fiona to bust the myths around composting. If you want to know how, why and what to compost this is a must-listen. David, our head of knowledge transfer at Garden Organic, shares the reasons he loves compost, and talks through the different composting systems at our organic demonstration garden, and how to use them. “We're producing kitchen waste at home so why not process it ourselves and produce compost? It's a circular economy in our own homes,” says David. “We're taking ownership of the waste and not relying on someone else to deal with it for us.” Also in this episode… Chris and Fiona chat about what to sow and plant now and how to care for winter ponds. 

Our CEO Fiona Taylor visits Slimbridge to chat to Simon Rose from the  Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) about ways to create similar habitats in your growing space.  With 75 per cent of wetlands in the UK lost in the last 300 years, Fiona explores the importance of urban bluescapes and bogs as a homes for wildlife. “Wetlands are really rich in wildlife – in fact 40 per cent of the world's species are reliant in some way on wetlands,” says Simon, who is Head of Experience Development at the WWT, which is based at Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in Gloucestershire. “But they also help prevent flooding and reduce carbon emissions. Wetlands are actually faster than rainforests at locking up carbon.” Simon and Fiona discuss ways you can mimic these diverse habitats in your own growing space. “Whenever you introduce water into the garden it's one of the best biodiversity boosters, and that could be anything from a bucket to half a barrel. Dig a hole, fill it with water, put some rocks and some plants in it and I guarantee that within weeks you’ll attract wildlife,” says Simon. “The sediment that settles on the bottom of a pond is another opportunity for carbon sequestration, even in a back garden setting.” Also in this episode… Chris Collins and Fiona chat about jobs you can be getting with this month, and Anton Rosenfeld delves into the postbag to help answer your questions. This month, they chew over using woodchip as a mulch, how to tackle rats, and ways to save money in the garden.

Join Fiona Taylor as she chats to Adam Alexander, aka the Seed Detective. Adam is a volunteer Seed Guardian for Garden Organic's Heritage Seed Library, and self-confessed seed nut! Adam shares stories of his travels around the world, and why seed saving and sharing is so important. For information on the Heritage Seed Library and how to get involved, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/what-we-do/hsl For information on Adam Alexander, visit theseeddetective.co.uk/

Our guest this month is Anthony McCluskey from Butterfly Conservation, who shares some fascinating advice about how to support butterflies and caterpillars in your growing space. We chat to Butterfly Conservation’s urban butterfly project officer about the importance of attracting more butterflies and nighttime pollinators such as moths. And he provides some brilliant advice on things you can plant and do in your garden to help support pollinator populations. “Recent studies show more than 80 per cent of our UK butterfly species are in decline and a lot of our moths are in decline too,” says Anthony, who is based in Stirling. “If you want to boost butterfly numbers locally, you need to pack your garden with ‘caterpillar plants’.” Also in this episode… Chris, Emma and Fiona take time to reflect on their successes and failures this year, and Emma answers questions from the postbag including how to plant wildlife-friendly hedges, tackle leek moth and improve soil in greenhouses.

In this month’s podcast, Chris hops across the border to visit the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to learn more about its conservation work. He chats to Kirsty Wilson, herbaceous supervisor at the botanic gardens, to discover more about its 350-year-old living collection of plants and its research projects. Kirsty, a presenter on BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden, explains the steps the garden is taking to help fight climate change, including preserving struggling plants, using green and clean technology and biocontrols for pests.  “We're doing a lot of work conserving Scottish native flora, as well as plants that are dying out in the rest of the world,” says Kirsty. “It’s important to understand biodiversity and plant life – and the species that are struggling - so we can protect them…and raise awareness with governments.” Also in this episode… Chris and Fiona discuss the benefits of not being too tidy in the garden, and planting whips for hedging. From the postbag, we offer advice on what to do after tomato blight, ways to tackle invasive weeds and allium leaf miner.

In this month’s podcast, we chat to Pam ‘The Jam’ Corbin about making seasonal jams and chutneys from homegrown produce. As the UK's leading expert on preserving, Pam shares some of her best-kept preserving secrets in October’s Organic Gardening Podcast. Pam cemented her reputation as a preserving expert at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage. And in her latest book, Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves, she provides detailed instructions for making more than 100 of her favourite recipes from classic pickles to savoury jams. Fiona caught up with her at her home in the West Country to take a tour of her pretty garden, and find out why she loves to make the most of delicious garden fruit and vegetables. Also in this episode… Chris Collins and Anton discuss creating the right conditions for healthy grapevines, friendly ways to tackle box moth caterpillars, and box alternatives, and how to avoid plum tree rot.

In this month’s podcast, Fiona chats to environmentalist Jane Davidson – our new Vice President - about the impact of climate change on her life and her gardening. In a fascinating discussion for our September Organic Gardening Podcast, the former Welsh Government minister shares her organic gardening trials and triumphs in North Pembrokeshire, and the importance of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act, which she spearheaded. “We’ve lost 70 per cent of species in my lifetime…and we’re likely to exceed the crucial 1.5 degrees this year - and that's a massive wake-up call,” says Jane, who is Chair of Wales Net Zero 2035. “I'm absolutely passionate about the idea that if we teach young children about the value of nature, then we actually breed habits that can sustain forevermore. Also in this episode Fiona and Chris discuss the effect of this year’s changeable weather on their gardens and crops, looking at what’s done well and what hasn’t.  Chris shares insights into tomato blight, and how to bring a pop of autumn colour into your planting schemes. And from the postbag, Anton discusses harvesting carrots and parsnips and autumn seed sowing.

This month’s delicious Organic Gardening Podcast offers 50-minutes of organic gardening advice and growing stories from our experts at the height of the harvest. The August garden might be bursting at the seams but now’s a great time to be planning for next year. Chris and Fiona chat about growing potatoes for a Christmas crop and planting for the hunger gap in early spring. And discuss protecting your soil over autumn and winter with green manures. Also in this episode Fiona finds out more about gardening in Scotland with our new Vice President Pam Whittle CBE – including her tireless work as president of The Royal Caledonian Horticulture Society and why accessibility to gardening is key to public health. “Finding spaces where human beings and nature can coexist is crucial,” says Pam. “And, for me, it’s all about sharing knowledge, not just showing. People learn better when they can do it for themselves.” From the postbag, Emma and Chris chew over your gardening questions including what causes tomato leaf curl and how to regrow supermarket herbs. And you can discover more about a little weed called nipplewort.

 In this month’s podcast, our Head Gardener Emma O’Neill gives us a backstage tour of her brilliant Backyard Biodiversity show garden at Gardeners’ World Live – and the take aways to use in your own garden. Emma talks to Fiona about the climate-change focus of the silver award-winning garden, which gave gardeners inspiring ideas to help their garden better withstand drought and flooding.  She shares the benefits of permeable paths and gravel gardens for absorbing run off. And growing a short flowering lawn – with beneficial plants - for attracting insects. Fiona and Emma also discuss how low hedges of lavender and herbs can function as pollinator corridors, and which wildlife habitats can be slotted into a small garden. Also in this episode Chris Collins and Fiona share tips on conserving water, the importance of nurturing your soil and your front garden.    And from the postbag, you can learn how to use nematodes, prevent blossom end rot and when to harvest your garlic. 

In this month’s podcast, Chris Collins chats to the ‘Banksy of Veg’ - food and gardening activist Sara Venn – about the importance of community gardening. The founder of Incredible Edible Bristol talks us through her journey into gardening and how she realised eco-friendly, organic gardening was the right route. “I learnt there's an awful lot of horticulture that isn't very good for the planet,” she says. “There's an awful lot of horticulture that's quite posh…and there’s a lot that suggests it’s regenerative but is actually just about shifting people out of the way.” Over the last decade, Sara has worked with more than 60 communities to create local, cost-effective gardens that give people access to nature, food and wellbeing. And she shares lots of advice for communities thinking about starting an eco-friendly garden in their neighbourhood. “Let's grow more food!” she says. “Let's make food available to anybody that needs it. But let’s also looks at who we share the planet with. We can't survive without pollinators, however much we think we can. Our garden space is bigger than the space the National Parks cover, so imagine if everybody was gardening.”

Our gardens and growing spaces have never been more important as biodiversity declines. Listen to our fascinating conversation with wildlife gardening pioneer Chris Baines as he discusses the “wildlife revolution” in our gardens and the sea-change in attitudes towards incorporating nature-friendly habitats and techniques. “Gardens made a big, positive difference [to wildlife] once people started to see them as a place where they could enjoy and encourage wildlife, rather than a place that they needed to keep wildlife out,” says Chris, who suggests creating ‘service stations’ in your garden to influence bird and insect survival. “The past 60-70 years have been a disaster for wildlife. The one saving grace in the UK has been gardens. Gardens have got better for wildlife, while the wider countryside has got worse. There’s a real growing up of the idea that we can’t just stand back and watch everything disappear, we have to intervene.”

In this Cut Flower Special of The Organic Gardening Podcast, Sarah Brown chats with Jo Wright from Flowers from the Farm and Debbie Scott, from East Lothian Flower Farm, as they share their experience of growing cut flowers organically, offering valuable insights into the benefits of supporting local flower growers. “Growing organic flowers made complete sense as we think about what we do very carefully," says Jo. "Cut flowers are a luxury, and we think the onus is much greater on the growers of a luxury crop, to protect the environment. We cannot be wasting resources on something that is primarily decorative." Our CEO Fiona Taylor catches up with our Head of Horticulture, Chris Collins, and shares top tips for ensuring seedlings thrive and flourish. They also discuss getting the most out of your local garden centre, so you can make more informed choices.  “You do need to be wise about what you’re buying. It’s a question of walking around and seeing what’s native and getting the best out of your shop, getting your money’s worth and supporting biodiversity,” says Chris.