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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
  • Tackling Problem Areas, Pruning Raspberries & Why Bare-Root Fruit Trees Save You Money — Episode 632

    Tackling Problem Areas, Pruning Raspberries & Why Bare-Root Fruit Trees Save You Money — Episode 632
    Nov 17 2025
    Welcome to this week’s blog post accompanying Episode 632 of The Veg Grower Podcast. In this episode, Richard shares what’s been happening on the allotment and in the kitchen garden during mid-November, tackles a few tricky areas, takes us through pruning summer raspberries, and explains why bare-root fruit trees can save you a fortune. Allotment Update - Tackling problem areas After a very wet Saturday, the weather dried up enough for a productive session on the allotment. Mid-November brings a noticeable shift: fewer people around, shorter days, and trees only now beginning to drop their leaves thanks to the mild autumn. Tackling Problem Areas Richard focuses on a few tricky spots this week: The top boundary alongside an abandoned neighbouring plot, where brambles and tall weeds always creep across. Only so much can be done until the plot is re-let, but winter tidying keeps it under control. The asparagus bed, now fully died back. Richard: Cleared weeds around the crowns Added homemade compost Layered on seaweed from the local beach (with permission) Finished with straw from the potato bedsAll to give the asparagus and rhubarb a strong start into spring. Under the gooseberry bushes, where thick bramble growth has taken hold. After cutting them back to the base: A few low gooseberry branches were removed for access Some bramble roots were dug out The plan now is regular hoeing to stay on top of regrowthIt’s part of a longer-term approach to improve the area while keeping things mostly no-dig. Kitchen Garden Update - Pruning raspberries Back home, the focus is on pruning summer raspberries. Pruning Summer Raspberries Summer-fruiting raspberries fruit on second-year canes. So the job now is to: Cut the older, brown canes at ground level Keep the younger, greener first-year stems for next year’s crop Richard uses a system where one side of the raspberry bed is first-year growth and the other is second-year, making pruning simple and repeatable. Autumn Raspberries The autumn raspberries are still fruiting and even flowering, so they’ll be left until winter before being cut down. In the Greenhouse Things are still thriving: Tomatoes have now been cleared Habaneros, chillies, and aubergines are still fruiting Strawberry plants, citrus, grape and peach trees are now sheltered inside The Autopot system has performed brilliantly again Planning ahead for sowing chillies and aubergines in December/January to make the most of the long season Recipe of the Week: Habanero Honey Hot Sauce With so many chillies still producing, Richard shares a beautifully balanced homemade hot sauce. It works with any type of chilli and stores well in the fridge. The full recipe is available on the website. The Podding Shed: Bare-Root Fruit Trees It’s the perfect season for bare-root fruit trees — usually available from November to February — and they’re one of the best ways to save money when expanding your fruit patch. Why Choose Bare-Root? Often less than half the price of potted trees Much easier to transport Establish extremely well when planted while dormant Ideal for gardeners on a budget Looking After Them Soak roots for 24 hours before planting If you can’t plant immediately, pot temporarily Get them into the ground while the soil is still warm Come spring, they bounce into life with fresh growth Richard also mentions his chosen tree for the year — a Cornish Gold pear, grown especially for juicing. If you would like to support this podcast then please consider becoming a member of our supporters club or use some of affiliate links below for items you might be buying. We might get a little commission Premier seeds direct for all your seed needs Autopot uk a revolutionary watering system for growing the best veg easily. User discount code auto10rvg for 10%off
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    29 mins
  • 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
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