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The Veg Grower Podcast

The Veg Grower Podcast

By: 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 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Episode 660: Embracing Tomato Fortnight & Sowing French Beans in Early Summer

    Episode 660: Embracing Tomato Fortnight & Sowing French Beans in Early Summer
    Jun 1 2026
    Early summer has truly arrived, and with it comes one of my favourite celebrations in the gardening calendar—Tomato Fortnight. As I shared in this week’s Veg Grower Podcast, the allotment and kitchen garden are bursting with activity, from staking tomatoes to sowing French beans, harvesting peas, and even spotting new life on my citrus tree. Tomato Fortnight: Why I Grow So Many Varieties Down on the allotment, the heat has been intense, but the tomatoes are thriving. I grow around eight different varieties, each chosen for a specific purpose—beefsteaks for sandwiches, salad tomatoes for everyday use, cherries for hanging baskets, and plum tomatoes for passata. As I said in the episode: “There are so many different varieties, hundreds and hundreds of varieties… that is why I grow so many different varieties of tomatoes.” Between home and the allotment, that adds up to around 30 plants—and honestly, I could still grow more. Greenhouse vs. Outdoor Tomatoes Greenhouse tomatoes crop earlier but lack the depth of flavour of outdoor-grown fruit. Outdoors, I rely on blight‑resistant varieties like Crimson Crush and Crimson Blush to help avoid devastation from late‑season blight. “Any tomatoes growing outside, unless they are blight resistant, are susceptible… it can literally rot your crop within a week.” Watering & Feeding Consistent watering is key to avoiding split fruit and blossom end rot. I mulch heavily with straw to lock in moisture and feed weekly with seaweed until flowering, then switch to tomato feed. Sweetcorn, Squash & Straw Bale Growing The allotment beds are now fully planted. Sweetcorn has gone in as a block, not rows, to ensure good wind pollination. Squash and courgettes are thriving in the straw bales, settling in nicely after the recent cold snap. Interestingly, my maincrop potatoes have overtaken the first earlies due to that cold spell: “The cold snap… just set those first earlies back a little bit.” Catching Rainwater in a Dry Year Back home, I’ve been racing to put out buckets and containers ahead of the forecast rain. “It has been a very dry year so far… I want to catch as much rainwater as I can.” With 16 water butts running low, every drop counts. Seed of the Month: French Beans June’s seed of the month is one of my absolute favourites—French climbing beans. They’re fast, productive, and perfect for filling gaps as spring crops finish. Sowing is simple: Sow direct 2 cm deep or Start in modules for quick germination (7–14 days) Beans aren’t hungry plants, but they do need something to climb. I use hazel-stick frames, drilling holes with a soil auger to get the sticks firmly into the ground. “They simply curl their way up around the stick… I find it fascinating.” I also grow Borlotto for both fresh pods and dried beans—beautiful, versatile, and easy to store. Kitchen Harvests & Courgette Fritters Harvests are rolling in: lettuce, radish, spring onions, peas, strawberries, raspberries, and the first courgettes of the year. To celebrate the courgette glut, this week’s recipe is Early Summer Courgette & Mint Fritters with Lemon Yoghurt—crisp, fresh, and perfect for lunch. “These fritters are crisp on the outside, soft in the middle… lifted beautifully by fresh mint.” Bee Update: A Calm, Growing Colony My weekly apiary visit brought brilliant news: “The bees have incredibly settled in… we’re now up to eight frames of bees.” Even better—I finally spotted the queen. Supers will be going on soon, meaning honey isn’t far away. Book of the Month: Home Brewing by Kevin Forbes May’s unexpected Book of the Month was Home Brewing by Kevin Forbes. With elderflowers in full swing, I used it to make cordial and even started elderflower wine. “This book made it sound very, very easy.” For June, I’ll be diving into The Victorian Kitchen Garden by Jennifer Davies.
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    31 mins
  • Episode 659: Battling the Heatwave & Finding a Rustic Vision for the Kitchen Garden

    Episode 659: Battling the Heatwave & Finding a Rustic Vision for the Kitchen Garden
    May 25 2026
    This week’s bank holiday brought record‑breaking heat, and like many gardeners, I’ve spent most of my time simply trying to keep plants alive. Between fast‑drying soil, thirsty young crops, and a greenhouse that felt more like an oven, it’s been a week of adapting, improvising, and learning a few new tricks to keep everything going. In the Kitchen Garden It’s been a scorching bank holiday, and most of my time has gone into simply keeping plants alive. Watering has been the big job this week, especially with young plants and pots drying out so quickly. The greenhouse has been a challenge too — my auto‑pots are brilliant, but even they struggled as the tank water evaporated in the heat. I’ve opened the window permanently and really should fit an auto‑vent. A small win: using the Ryobi stick pump with a hosepipe has cut watering time from an hour to about 20 minutes. That’s been a lifesaver. We’ve planted out beans, rosemary and sage, and harvested peas, rhubarb, and our first strawberries. On the Allotment Watering is harder here, with troughs several plots away, but the straw mulch continues to make a huge difference. A reminder from this week: not everything needs watering daily. Newly planted crops, yes. Established plants, no — a deep weekly soak is often enough. I’ve been working early mornings to beat the heat and planted out more beans using hazel supports. The soil is rock‑hard, so I used a drill and auger to get the canes in. Recipe of the Week New potatoes with garden greens and herb oil — simple, seasonal, and full of flavour. Full recipe is on the website. Bee Update My first hive inspection went well. More bees, new comb, nectar, and larvae — all signs the queen is laying, even though I didn’t spot her. A good start for the colony. Chelsea Flower Show & A New Direction A brief visit to Chelsea left me inspired. The gardens were stunning, and it got me thinking: why shouldn’t a vegetable garden look beautiful too? After also visiting Amberley Museum, I’ve settled on a more rustic kitchen garden style — hazel supports, herbs edging the beds, fan‑trained fruit trees, and reducing visible plastic where possible. It’s a long‑term project, but it finally feels like the right direction. If you want the full story, including all the details and thoughts behind these changes, have a listen to this week’s episode.
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    32 mins
  • Episode 658: The Week the Weather Turned… and I Finally Got My Bees

    Episode 658: The Week the Weather Turned… and I Finally Got My Bees
    May 18 2026
    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.
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    33 mins
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