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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 2025 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Extending the Growing Season: Rainwater, Chickens, and Indoor Gardening

    Extending the Growing Season: Rainwater, Chickens, and Indoor Gardening
    Nov 10 2025
    This week on The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard reflects on another busy week in the garden and allotment. With mild weather still hanging on, there’s plenty of fresh food to harvest — from kale and leeks to the last of the tomatoes and chillies. But as winter creeps closer, Richard’s focus turns to preparing for the months ahead and keeping the growing going indoors. In the Kitchen Garden Despite the changing season, the kitchen garden is still producing well. Richard talks about his continued harvests of late crops and how the mild weather has delayed the first frost. He shares how vital homemade compost has been this year — improving soil moisture and helping crops like parsnips thrive even after a dry summer. With 16 water butts already in place, he’s been busy transferring rainwater between them to make the most of every drop. Richard also discusses plans to add an IBC tank to boost rainwater storage and the benefits of composting for soil health, including his ongoing success with the Hotbin composter. Its mentioned about some black Fridays deals from HOTBIN composters that might be of interest to you and can be found here, or by using BF2025 in your cart when checking out There’s both good and bad news in the chicken coop this week. A compulsory housing order is now in place across the UK due to bird flu, meaning all poultry must be kept indoors. Richard shares how he’s keeping his flock safe — and the joy of discovering the very first egg from one of his new hens, a beautiful small blue-green egg laid by Panther. Down on the Allotment At the allotment, the focus has shifted to clearing and preparing beds for winter. Richard discusses the importance of green manures for protecting and improving soil health. He’s experimenting with different types — from phacelia to winter tares and forage rye — to see which works best in his soil. He’s also noticed some of his raised bed timbers are starting to rot, a good reminder that winter is the perfect time for maintenance projects like replacing boards and refreshing bed edges. Recipe of the Week This we week we have a perfect seasonal recipe — Roasted Root Vegetable and Apple Soup. This simple dish combines carrots, parsnips, swede and apples for a sweet, hearty winter warmer that’s ideal for using up stored crops. In the Potting Shed Richard finishes the episode talking about growing indoors — from microgreens on the kitchen windowsill to experiments with hydroponics. He explains how grow lights, heated propagators, and even small hydro systems can keep gardeners growing all winter long. Even when it’s cold and dark outside, the gardening doesn’t have to stop. With a few trays of microgreens or herbs, there’s always something fresh to enjoy — and plenty of ways to scratch that gardening itch through the winter.
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    35 mins
  • #630: Soil Health, Winter Purslane, and Making the Most of Bonfire Season

    #630: Soil Health, Winter Purslane, and Making the Most of Bonfire Season
    Nov 3 2025
    In the Allotment This week, I’ve been experimenting with something a little different — late-night gardening under torchlight!With the clocks changing, I found myself missing the allotment after work, so I thought I’d give working by flashlight a try. Let’s just say, it’s not something I’ll be repeating. Between juggling a torch and trying to weed one-handed, it was more trouble than it’s worth. Still, it was good to see how things are ticking along. There’s not too much to do this time of year — overwintering crops are established and looking after themselves — but I did take the chance to observe the health of my soil. Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, those delicate white strands that form a natural network underground. It’s often called the “internet of the soil,” helping plants communicate and share nutrients. Seeing that tells me my soil is alive and healthy. Good soil health is everything. Adding organic matter, compost, leaf mould and mulches all feed the soil and the life within it — worms, fungi, bacteria — which in turn feeds our plants. That’s why we say, “feed the soil, not the plants.”With winter approaching, I’ll be leaving most of the work for the weekends, focusing on mulching and protecting the soil ready for next spring. In the Kitchen Garden Back home, it’s been a similar story of abundance. Despite being November, the beds are still bursting with produce — tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, kale, broccoli, cabbages, and peas. Even the nasturtiums and dahlias are still flowering, giving the garden a slightly overgrown but wonderfully productive look. The chickens are doing well too, though we’ve had a bird flu alert from DEFRA. Thankfully, I’m not in a protection zone, but I’ve started taking precautions — covering the run, moving feeders, and preparing to disinfect boots when going in and out of the coop if needed. It’s important to stay vigilant and protect our birds as winter sets in. Seed of the Month – Winter Purslane Our Seed of the Month for November is Winter Purslane, also known as Claytonia or Miner’s Lettuce.It’s one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow at this time of year. Sow the seeds thinly on the surface of moist, peat-free compost and cover lightly. It doesn’t need warmth — in fact, it prefers cool temperatures and short days. It’s perfectly happy in a cold frame, greenhouse, or even a windowsill pot. Harvest the young leaves regularly for salads. They have a soft, refreshing texture, a little like spinach, and are full of vitamin C. A perfect way to add a splash of green to winter meals. Get your seeds here. Recipe of the Week This weeks recipe has been inspired by our Seed of the Month and has created a Winter Purslane and Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing.This simple dish combines the mild lemony flavour of Winter Purslane with warm potatoes and a tangy mustard dressing — proving that even in the depths of autumn, the garden can still put dinner on the table.You can find the full recipe on our website. In the Potting Shed This week, I’ve been reading Digging for Victory by Twigs Way and Mike Brown — a fascinating look at how gardeners in wartime Britain grew their own food and wasted nothing. That led me to think about wood ash, which ties in nicely with Bonfire Night. If you have a fire or bonfire, save that ash!Wood ash is rich in potassium, which supports flowering and fruiting plants. You can sprinkle it over vegetable beds or add it in small amounts to the compost heap. Just avoid using ash from treated wood or coal, and don’t add it where potatoes will grow next year, as it can encourage scab. Store it dry in a metal container, and it’ll be a valuable soil improver come spring. Final Thoughts It’s been a productive and reflective week — experimenting on the allotment, enjoying the abundance in the kitchen garden,
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    30 mins
  • #629 Compost, Quince Jam, and Keeping the Greenhouse Warm

    #629 Compost, Quince Jam, and Keeping the Greenhouse Warm
    Oct 27 2025
    This week on The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard enjoys a productive weekend of gardening, with mild autumn weather, a few fireworks for the dog to contend with, and plenty of composting, tidying, and planning for the colder months ahead. In the Kitchen Garden After a lovely weekend of good gardening weather, Richard shares how it’s left him smiling — the kind of days that remind us why we love being outside this time of year. With the dog and chickens safely tucked away during the firework noise, the focus has been on tidying up the beds and adding more compost to improve the soil before winter sets in. Most of the compost used is home-made — the result of months of careful recycling and turning — but for anyone needing to top up, Richard recommends PSA100 compost bought in bulk as a cost-effective alternative. The same approach has been used in the Vegepod area, where the beds have been cleared and prepped ready for the next round of sowing. It’s all part of setting the garden up so it’s ready to burst into life again next spring. Supporters Club Segment As always, Richard pauses to thank his Supporters Club members for helping keep the podcast running.Members receive extra behind-the-scenes podcasts and a monthly seed pack to sow, along with exclusive growing tips and access to a friendly online community. You can join the Supporters Club for just £5 a month at theveggrowerpodcast.co.uk. Down on the Allotment Over on the allotment, Richard has now lifted the last of the potatoes for the year — a satisfying job that marks the end of another growing season. The leftover straw mulch from the potato beds has been repurposed to cover the rhubarb and other perennial vegetables, helping protect them from the winter cold and frost. It’s a small but effective way to reuse materials and make sure the soil — and plants — stay healthy through the winter months. Chef Scott’s Recipe of the Week Chef Scott makes his return this week with a recipe for Quince Jam, perfect for making use of those seasonal fruits. His recipe is simple, fragrant, and a lovely way to preserve autumn flavours for the months ahead. You’ll find the full recipe over on the website. In the Podding Shed Back in the shed, Richard turns his attention to a timely topic — heating the greenhouse. The first step, he says, is always insulation. Bubble wrap or fleece can help trap warmth and protect plants from frost. He also uses a water butt full of water as a thermal battery, storing warmth during the day and releasing it at night. In the past, he even experimented with a compost heap for heating, inspired by the Victorians’ pineapple houses — though this proved less effective in practice. When it comes to heating options, paraffin heaters can work well but bring concerns about safety and ventilation. For reliability and peace of mind, Richard now leans towards an electric greenhouse heater fitted with a thermostat to keep conditions steady without wasting energy.
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    31 mins
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