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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 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
  • Episode 657: Sowing Winter Cabbage, Tackling Allotment Overwhelm & Our April Book Review

    Episode 657: Sowing Winter Cabbage, Tackling Allotment Overwhelm & Our April Book Review
    May 11 2026
    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.
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    27 mins
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