grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

If you’ve ever let your vegetable garden wind down after summer, there’s a whole season you’re missing out on. 
This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah breaks the year into two simple seasons and shows you exactly what to sow now so you can keep picking right through the grey months. 
From hardy salads and herbs to kales and chards, she shares 12 tried-and-tested crops that genuinely thrive in a UK winter. 
In this episode, discover:
How to divide the gardening year into two simple seasons so you can plan for year-round harvests
Which 12 tried-and-tested crops Sarah relies on for winter and early spring eating
The exact sowing window for late-summer and early-autumn sowings, and why timing is crucial if you want strong plants going into winter
Practical ways to cook and enjoy your winter veg, including Sarah’s wilted kale salad, and how to use herbs to brighten cold-season salads
Products mentioned:
Lettuce ‘Merveille de Quatre Saisons’:
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lettuce-merveille-de-quatre-saisons
Mustard ‘Red Frills’: 
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/mustard-red-frills
Flat-leaf Parsley ‘Giant of Napoli’: 
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/parsley-gigante-di-napoli
Spinach ‘Medania’: 
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/spinach-medania
Chard: 
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/chard-lucullus
Florence Fennel / Bulb Fennel (‘Romanesco’): 
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/florence-fennel-romanesco
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Stepping out into the garden with a sketchbook in hand is a novel, powerful practice which, given time, can transform the way we look at plants we think that we know like the back of our hand.
In this week’s podcast episode, Sarah is joined by artist and gardener Matthew Rice to explore how drawing becomes a kind of “recorded looking” that deepens our relationship with flowers and gardens - from choosing the right subjects and materials to capturing the feeling of a border in full swing.
In this episode, discover:
How drawing functions as “recorded looking”, helping deepen your relationship with your garden
Which flowers and garden plants are most forgiving to draw as a beginner, and practical ways to get started with garden drawing
Where Matthew Rice finds inspiration, from historic watercolourists to everyday details in his own greenhouse and garden
Products mentioned:
Snakeshead Fritillaries: sarahraven.com/products/fritillaria-meleagris
Iris reticulata: sarahraven.com/products/iris-reticulata-blue-note
Courgettes: sarahraven.com/products/courgette-soleil-f1
Mint: sarahraven.com/products/mint-moroccan
Matthew Rice: https://www.instagram.com/matthewricewatercolours/
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

The National Garden Scheme is a national treasure, raising millions for charities and giving access to gorgeous gardens for those who need them most.
It’s a joy this week to be joined by former GP and National Garden Scheme CEO Dr Richard Claxton to explore how 3,200 gardens – from stately homes to hospital rooftops and new-build backyards – are transforming health and access to green space across the UK. 
In this episode, discover:
How the National Garden Scheme quietly turns open gardens, tea and cake into £3.9 million a year for nursing and healthcare charities
Why Richard Claxton believes gardening is one of the most powerful tools we have for long-term wellbeing
How the NGS has evolved from stately homes and rectories to include community gardens, and small, relatable plot
The story behind transformative projects like the intensive care roof garden at King’s College Hospital
How balconies, new-build gardens and shared plots can play a vital role in our health and connection to nature
Richard Claxton:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardclaxtongardens/
The National Garden Scheme: https://www.instagram.com/nationalgardenscheme/
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

We’ve learned from years of unpredictable weather patterns that the climate is demanding more of our plants than ever before, and while some struggle, others quietly thrive throughout it all.
In this episode, Sarah is joined by Josie Lewis to explore which plants are quietly thriving through late frosts, heatwaves and torrential rain with a practical, down-to-earth shortlist of resilient perennials, shrubs, grasses and ground covers to help your garden cope with an increasingly unpredictable climate.
In this episode, discover:
How long-observed changes in weather are reshaping which plants can thrive in the garden
Which resilient perennials, shrubs and grasses are coping best with “swivelly” weather, and why traits like tap roots and silver, hairy foliage matter
Which much-loved plants are starting to struggle with mildew, black spot and stress
Practical, down-to-earth techniques for helping your garden weather extremes conditions
Products mentioned:
Bluebells (Native British): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-bluebells
Eryngiums (Sea Hollies): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/eryngium-alpinum?srsltid=AfmBOopO4Ifg4rzCW2YkMWRcqgDXIRlXUqsM8bCbvKl2l68rTKaBJU4l
Lavender: sarahraven.com/products/lavender-munstead
Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rosemary-tuscan-blue?srsltid=AfmBOoqw1cACNvCEpOmZsANIbxqDCLnJbnUK2yiqwuVl2Cvfo8ZtYvMy
Origanum vulgare (Oregano): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-marjoram?srsltid=AfmBOopv0ainVpy6LtMUQZNXz7j2uk0S8_o0MhkfGzThC64AF9eaF1l-
Lychnis coronaria (Magenta): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lychnis-coronaria
Stipa gigantea: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/stipa-gigantea
Quaking Grasses (Briza species): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/briza-maxima-greater-quaking-grass?srsltid=AfmBOorNYwPg5Ia0BbbQNr1nHeMdY4zpd_RelqlM_oWx8Ukfkg6qb-Yp
Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/leucanthemum-vulgaris?srsltid=AfmBOoqICKKwsHKsI_Az1IDEef6FTGyX2985v8xOzJWJz6vK2m39rH80
Salvia ‘Cerro Potosi’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-microphylla-cerro-potosi
Salvia ‘Jezebel’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-jezebel?srsltid=AfmBOoo9zChqz4ORp4p1PjjxPn-FE0S9HtVs0nqaEzWg3SHc0sPNNdRE
Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-x-jamensis-royal-bumble?srsltid=AfmBOorDeIIZi7sAEHWbPIlPsgg6Nvy-c1HUTkEyZNvgfHTKvBI0VLH5
Phlox ‘David’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-david
Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-blue-paradise
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

What Pam Corbin doesn’t know about preserves, isn’t worth knowing. She’s an oracle on all things jam - hence her apt nickname, ‘Pam the Jam’.
For the home cook, and for those with a kitchen garden worthy of capturing its fruity goodness, this week’s episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Pam is a perfect entry point to creating your own jams.
She and Sarah share the secrets behind turning seasonal fruit and veg into beautiful jars of low‑sugar jams, compotes and chutneys that actually taste of the fruit, not just the sugar!
In this episode, discover:
How Pam moved from a tiny jam business in a converted pig unit to writing modern classics on preserves
Why traditional jam recipes were so heavy on sugar, and how to safely make lower‑sugar, soft‑set jams today
Practical, step‑by‑step tips for tricky fruits like strawberries and raspberries – including staging your jam, managing foam, and avoiding overcooked, rock‑hard results
Simple ways to make more than just jam from your harvest, from apricot compotes and bottled cherries to clever uses for rhubarb, courgettes and runner beans
How to choose and use basic preserving kit so you can confidently turn garden gluts into jars on your shelf
Order ‘Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves’:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pam-Jam-Book-Preserves-Corbin/dp/1408884496
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest