The Veg Grower Podcast

This week’s episode of The Veg Grower Podcast is a real mix of surprises, setbacks, and exciting new beginnings. From unexpected frost damage on the allotment to big changes in the kitchen garden — and the moment Richard finally becomes a beekeeper — there’s plenty to dive into. If you want the full story, the sounds, and the emotions behind it all, make sure you give the episode a listen.

Down on the Allotment

Richard kicks off the week with a weather surprise — a mid‑May frost that caught many growers off guard. As he said, “This week we have had some frosts… temperatures have certainly dipped overnight.” Potatoes blackened, cucumbers wiped out, and a few tomatoes took a hit. It’s a lesson in not planting tender crops too early, even when the forecast looks safe.

But it’s not all doom and gloom — Richard shares how he’s bouncing back and what he’ll do differently next year.

Weeding, Asparagus & Garlic Watch

With planting paused, Richard focused on weed control — essential at this time of year when everything grows at full speed. He also harvested rhubarb and asparagus, though the spears have been thinner than usual.

On the garlic front, the straw mulch continues to help reduce leek rust, though a few spots have appeared. As he explains in the podcast, removing affected leaves now gives the bulbs the best chance to finish strong.

In the Kitchen Garden

Back home, the sheltered kitchen garden escaped most of the frost damage. Richard has been sorting through his many pots — and discovered that around 75% of his fruit bushes and trees didn’t survive winter.

He talks through what happened, what he’s replacing, and why he’s switching to matching pots and decorative stone mulch.

Seeds Still Going In

There’s still time to sow plenty, so this week included:

Cucumbers

Nasturtiums

Sunflowers

Carrots

Beetroot

Spring onions

Richard shares why he’s sowing these now and how they fit into his late‑spring plan.

Recipe of the Week

This week’s kitchen segment features a creamy spring onion and potato soup — simple, seasonal, and perfect if you’re harvesting early potatoes. Listen for the full method and tips.

Beekeeping Begins

The big moment has arrived — Richard is officially a beekeeper. He collected his nuc on Saturday, transported it safely, and transferred the frames into his hive. As he described, “Within another couple of hours, the bees seem to have settled in.”

He also shares the full story of getting stung, settling the bees, and how he found the perfect field site.

This week has been one of those classic early‑May weeks where everything seems to need doing at once. I’ve been sowing our Seed of the Month, tackling slugs and snails in the kitchen garden, trying to stay on top of the allotment before inspections begin, and finishing our April Book of the Month: RHS Can I Grow Potatoes in Pots? by Sally Nex. There’s plenty to share, so let’s get into it.

From the Kitchen Garden

This week in the kitchen garden we’ve been sowing our Seed of the Month: Winter Cabbage. I’m a little later than planned, but May and June are still perfect months to get these hardy brassicas started. Winter cabbages are one of my favourite crops because they stand strong through the cold months and give you that wonderful feeling of harvesting fresh veg when everything else has slowed down. There’s nothing quite like cutting a crisp cabbage on Christmas Day.

Somvarities I recommend are:

Winter cabbage Tudra F1

Savoy vertus 2

Savoy Di Verona

I sow mine in root trainers filled with a good quality seed compost, making a hole about a centimetre deep and dropping in one seed per cell. They don’t need heat at this time of year — just a cool, bright spot in the shed. Once the roots show at the bottom, they’re ready for potting on. I’ll be planting mine out in the bed where my first early potatoes have been growing, once those are harvested in June.

Alongside the cabbages, the kitchen garden has been full of activity. Lots of plants have gone into the ground, but the slugs and snails have been causing havoc, especially on my squash and sweetcorn. Thankfully there’s still time to sow replacements, and I even picked up a couple of courgette plants from the garden centre — different varieties to what I usually grow, but I’m always happy to experiment.

To help manage the slug problem, I’ve been using an upturned clay pot as a trap. The slugs hide inside during the day, making them easy to collect and feed to the chickens. It’s simple, effective, and nothing goes to waste. Some of my brassicas, especially the purple sprouting broccoli and kale, are still in flower and taking up a lot of space, but I’m determined to save more of my own seed this year, so I’m letting them finish their cycle before clearing the beds.

Down on the Allotment

It’s been incredibly busy on the allotment. We’re only a third of the way through the year, but everything seems to have hit at once. I’ll admit I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed — a combination of dry weather, lots of planting, and the knowledge that allotment inspections are just around the corner.

To stay on top of things, I sit down every Thursday evening and write a list of weekend tasks, sorted by priority:

Top priority: jobs that will cause damage if ignored — watering, planting out, anything urgent.

Medium priority: tidying, mowing, weeding, keeping the plot looking cared for.

Low priority: fun projects like cutting comfrey for compost or mulch.

This week I’ve been planting out cucumbers, which are now climbing up hazel sticks harvested from my own tree. They look great once they’re in, even if the sticks are a bit of a battle to get into the ground.

I’ve also been cutting back comfrey. It’s a brilliant plant for compost, mulch, and homemade plant feed, though it does have a habit of popping up everywhere. The leaves make a great mulch for tomatoes and cucumbers, adding potassium and helping retain moisture.

The allotment is looking good overall. Potatoes are up, asparagus and rhubarb are coming thick and fast, and the garlic is looking excellent with no sign of leek rust. Even the elephant garlic is starting to form flower heads — which I’ll snap off and use in the kitchen.

Recipe of the Week — Broad Bean Smash

This week’s recipe is a simple but delicious Broad Bean Smash, perfect for early‑season broad beans that have overwintered beautifully.

You’ll find the full recipe on the Veg Grower Podcast website.

This week has been a little different here at the Veg Grower Podcast. While the allotment and kitchen garden have mostly seen me planting out the last of the season’s young plants, the real highlight has been my annual trip to the Gardener’s World Spring Fair at Beaulieu. It’s a show I look forward to every single year, and once again it didn’t disappoint. From catching up with friends like Aid Sellers and Lucy Chamberlain to exploring the inspiring show gardens and stalls, it was a day packed with ideas, conversations, and a good dose of gardening joy. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

Catching Up With Friends at the Show

One of the things I love most about these events is the people. Gardeners often work alone in their plots, but shows like this remind us that we’re part of a huge, enthusiastic community.

I caught up with Ade Sellers, who was hosting the “In Conversation With” stage. Aid spoke passionately about the joy of seeing audiences engage with speakers — from seasoned growers to complete beginners. He described those moments when someone hears a single nugget of advice and you can almost see the lightbulb switch on. That’s what these shows are all about.

Later, I met up with Lucy Chamberlain, who, alongside De Graft, created the “Make a Metre Matter” garden. Divided into nine one‑metre squares, it showcased everything from punchy salad leaves to wildlife habitats, including a beautifully crafted hedgehog nest made entirely from natural, easy‑to‑source materials. Lucy’s enthusiasm for small‑space growing was infectious — proof that even a single square metre can transform a space.

A Picnic Worth Talking About

Of course, no day out is complete without food, and this week’s Recipe of the Week was designed with picnics in mind: a Spring Garden Quiche filled with asparagus, spring onions, herbs, and a creamy egg mixture. I cheated with shop‑bought pastry (don’t judge!), but the result was delicious — perfect for eating on the lawn between exploring the gardens and stalls. The full recipe is on the website if you fancy giving it a go.

Exploring the Show

We arrived at Beaulieu just as the gates opened, with Amanda and Roxy joining me thanks to a mercifully cloudy forecast. The gardens were my first stop — they always are — and the designers had done a fantastic job. From wildlife‑friendly planting to clever small‑space ideas, there was plenty to take home and try.

As always, I couldn’t resist a bit of shopping. I came away with:

Two bottles of Rudecello (rhubarb‑infused vodka — surprisingly good!)

A few carnivorous plants to help with indoor pests

Four young trees from Jurassic Plants:

Two citrus

A greengage

A Chinese quince

The afternoon brought rain, and the showground emptied almost instantly, but even that didn’t dampen the mood. It was a brilliant day out — full of ideas, friendly faces, and that unmistakable buzz that only a gardening show can bring.

Looking Ahead

I’m already looking forward to Gardeners’ World Live in June and Audley End in September, where Lucy will be creating another Make a Metre Matter garden. If you’ve never been to one of these shows, I can’t recommend them enough. They’re friendly, practical, and packed with inspiration for gardeners of all levels.

If you were at the Spring Fair, I’d love to hear what you thought. And as always, if you enjoy the podcast, a rating or review helps more people discover the joy of growing their own food.

We’re at the end of April and everything suddenly feels early this year. Warm days, fast growth, and that sense that the season has properly kicked into gear. I’ve taken a few risks in the kitchen garden, made good progress down on the allotment, and had a beekeeping experience that’s left me more excited than ever about keeping my own hive. Here’s what’s been happening.

From the Kitchen Garden; Planting Early

I’ve done something I don’t normally do at this time of year: I planted out all my tender plants. Tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, peppers, courgettes — they’re all in the ground. It’s a gamble, but with fleece ready and plenty of backup plants, I’m willing to take the chance.

The kitchen garden looks full now, even though a few brassicas are still flowering before they come out. A big job finally ticked off was moving the Belfast sinks that hold our herbs. With my brother’s help, they’re now in front of the potting shed and look much better there.

Seed sowing is calming down, although I did lose a batch of sweetcorn after leaving them too long in the heated propagator. A reminder that airflow matters. I’ve also sown Crown Prince pumpkins — one of my favourites — and I’m hoping to save seed from them later in the year.

Watering has suddenly become a daily job. Mulching with compost is helping, but if this dry spell continues, we’ll be relying heavily on the water butts.

Down the Allotment; Protecting Brassicas

It’s been warm enough that I regretted not taking water with me, so a reminder to take fluids, sunscreen and a hat. I’ve made myself ill before by ignoring that.

The last of the potatoes went in this week — King Edwards — finishing off six weeks of staggered planting. Compost is always tight, but we had just enough to mulch the bed.

The brassicas are all planted out too: sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale. A bit of lime, firm soil, and a good watering. The pigeons have already shown interest, but instead of netting, I’ve put up children’s windmill toys. They move in the breeze, scare off pigeons, and still let the smaller birds in to deal with slugs and snails.

A quick mow made the whole plot look better, and the asparagus bed is now producing well. I picked a good handful this week, and more spears are appearing every day.

Recipe of the Week

With early peas and fresh mint ready, I made a simple pea and mint soup. Butter, onion, garlic, peas, stock, fresh mint — blended until smooth and served with crusty bread. It tastes like spring in a bowl and is a great way to use those first early peas.

From the Podding Shed; My First Real Beekeeping Experience

For my birthday, my wife booked me onto a beekeeping experience day, and it was fascinating. The beekeeper I visited manages 140 hives across Sussex, and as we arrived, a swarm was already moving between trees. Standing in the middle of thousands of bees was incredible — they weren’t aggressive, just busy.

We suited up and went through several hives, checking for eggs, honey stores, pollen and queen cells. I learned a huge amount, including how to spot signs of swarming. One hive was a bit angry, and after we took our suits off, I did get stung twice, but it hasn’t put me off at all.

What it has done is confirm that keeping bees at home isn’t suitable — too close to neighbours. The allotment is the better option, but the council requires experience before granting permission, which is tricky when you can’t get experience without keeping bees. I’m working with them to find a way forward.

I’m more excited than ever to start keeping bees properly.

This week on the Veg Grower Podcast, Richard takes us through that wonderful mid‑April moment when everything suddenly bursts into life. The allotment is waking up fast, the kitchen garden is buzzing with activity, and even the potting shed has a surprisingly important topic to tackle. There’s been planting, sowing, weeding, rescuing, and—thanks to a small accident—some very seasonal cooking too. It’s been a full and productive week, and Richard shares it all.

On the Allotment

Richard begins the week down on the allotment, where the next batch of potatoes has gone into the ground. This time it’s the Maris Piper, the first of the maincrop varieties and one of Richard’s favourites for roasting and chipping. The method stays simple: a hole, a seed potato, a sprinkle of fertiliser, a layer of compost and a good watering.

There’s excitement too, because the Rocket potatoes planted earlier in the season have now pushed their first leaves through the soil. Those tiny green shoots are always a reassuring sight, a sign that the season is moving forward and that the first harvest isn’t too far away.

A few weeks ago Richard sowed carrots and parsnips on the south side of the greenhouse, and they’ve now germinated. They’re still tiny, but they’re up, and that’s what matters. They’ll need careful watering, but it’s another sign that spring is well underway.

Richard has also planted out onions grown from seed—a fiddly job, but one that should pay off with fewer bolted onions later in the year. And the broad beans have gone in too, both the overwintered plants and the January‑sown experiment. They’re now tucked into the old straw bale bed and mulched with straw to help keep the moisture in.

Seed saving is a big focus for Richard this year, so a couple of parsnip plants have been left in the ground to flower. They still look like ordinary parsnips for now, but once they bolt, they’ll provide seed for next year.

And while weeding the asparagus bed, Richard accidentally snapped off a couple of spears. Not ideal, but they came home and ended up inspiring this week’s recipe.

In the Kitchen Garden

Back home, the kitchen garden has been just as busy. The greenhouse has been warm—very warm—and the autopots have kept the tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies and peppers perfectly watered. They’re growing strongly and won’t be long before they start flowering.

The cold frame, however, has been a battleground. Slugs and snails have found their way in and eaten Richard’s cucumbers. Because he doesn’t use pellets, it’s back to the usual routine of nightly slug patrols, a bucket, and the chickens enjoying the spoils the next morning. The upside‑down clay pot trick is still working well, giving the slugs a cool hiding place that makes them easy to collect.

Out in the main beds, Richard has been tackling the weeding in small, manageable sections. One area by the shed had become a bit of a dumping ground for pots, so he cleared it, trimmed the grass, and planted an apple tree there instead. It won’t fruit this year, but it’s a long‑term improvement to the space.

Some of the potted fruit trees haven’t survived last year’s dry summer and this winter’s cold snap, including the citrus. A few might still come back, but replacements may be needed. Meanwhile, the seed sowing continues in the shed—more beans, more sweetcorn, more of everything really—and the heated propagators have now been switched off for the season.

Recipe of the Week: Asparagus & Potato Traybake

This week’s recipe came about thanks to those accidentally harvested asparagus spears. Asparagus has such a short season and such a delicate flavour that when it’s ready, you really do have to make the most of it.

Richard made a simple asparagus and potato traybake with a lemon and herb dressing. Potatoes were roasted first, then chopped asparagus and red onion were added along with a little more oil and seasoning. While that finished cooking,