By Adam Kirtland
4.9
88 ratings
The podcast currently has 179 episodes available.
🌱 This week, I've joined by a legend...
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
Now, often on this podcast I’ll feature a conversation with someone that you may not have heard of before, but this week I’ve got a real treat for you all as I welcome back a returning guest, that you absolutely will recognise! I only need to begin saying this person’s name and I know many of you will be delighted to hear that on the podcast this week I’m speaking with Gardener’s World favourite, the wonderful Frances Tophill.
I first spoke to Frances just a little over two years ago and its fair to say a lot has happened to her since then and thankfully we sat down to discuss it all, in this feature length episode! This is one I know you’re going to thoroughly enjoy, so sit down, grab yourself a brew and listen along!
If you’d like to see more from Frances then you can follow her on Instagram where you’ll her as @francestophill.
Frances’s upcoming gardening book for children, called How To Grow A Garden is due out at the end of February next year and is available to pre-order at Waterstones and all good booksellers.
Westland have such a wide range of composts available for your every garden need! From indoor potting mixes to the perfect outdoor solution, there is something for every grower and for every gardening need. For more information and to find the perfect compost for you, see gardenhealth.com now.
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🐦This week we're we're bird watching!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
Enticing, encouraging and bringing wildlife in our gardens is a key part of gardening, and birds are a huge part of that. However, if you’re anything like I am, you’ll also really have no idea what you’re doing at all when it comes to looking after them properly and giving them what they need. Thankfully my guest this week does and he’s sharing it all with us in detail. Matt Spracklen, otherwise known on Instagram, as @rocknrollbirder has a huge interest in birds and through his popular Instagram page, shares the comings and goings of the birds in not only his garden, but also from nature reserves and all around the country. This is an informative episode, packed with advice and thoughts on how you can attract even more birds into your own garden, enjoy!
I’d also highly recommend Matt’s podcast also called Rock n Roll Birder where you can join him by listening to a weekly birdwatching walk, complete with special guests.
If you’d like to encourage an even wider variety of birds in your garden then do try Peckish Complete Seed Mix. Crafted to be 100% edible, with all husks removed. This ensures that no feed goes to waste, offering maximum nourishment to wild birds in your garden. By including a variety of seeds, this mix caters to the preferences of different birds, making your garden a hotspot for a wide variety from Robins, to tits and from chaffinches to thrushes.
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🐛 This week we're working with wildlife!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
We spend our time, as gardeners, beautifying our green spaces, adding flowers and plants to create a haven for us and our families. But what about the wildlife around us too? How can we encourage more of it to make our gardens their homes also? My guest this week knows all about that very topic and thankfully we’ve got lots of tips to share with you. Kate Bradbury is a wildlife expert and in fact, she’s also the wildlife editor of Gardener’s World magazine too so you’ll be glad to know we’re in safe hands!
Kate has written numerous books on gardening for wildlife including her latest, One Garden Against The World, which we delve into deeper, here. Enjoy!
If you’d like to find out more about Kate then you can follow her Instagram @kategbradbury. Kate’s latest book, One Garden Against The World is out now from Bloomsbury and can be found in all good bookshops, online and in your local library too.
You can vote for One Garden Against The World in the People’s Book Prize by visiting People’sBookPrize.com now!
If you’d like to help encourage more wildlife into your own garden then why not create even the smallest patch of wildflowers with Unwins Nature’s Haven Easy Wildflowers Mix! This ideal blend of wildflower seeds and sowing granules brings vibrant colours and valuable wildlife into your garden. Just scatter it around and enjoy a beautiful wildflower display—effortlessly!
✍️ Read My Blog and More: Click Here
💻 My Website: Visit Here
☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
📩 Email Me: Here!
🌱 This week we're talking about working with nature!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
Our gardens connect us with nature, more than we might even realise. Some of us grow edibles either through necessity or for enjoyment, and others fill their growing spaces with ornamentals instead, but we all share the common joy of growing through one form or another. But someone who I know who is connected to nature perhaps more than anyone else I know is permaculturalist, Huw Richards.
Huw has spent his time sharing how he grows and exactly how he does that in tandem with nature. In this episode we discuss the key principles of permaculture, what it means and so much more. Enjoy!
If you’d like to find out more about Huw then do make sure to follow him on Instagram where you’ll find him as @huwsgarden. Huw’s latest book ‘The Self Sufficiency Garden’ is out now from DK and his upcoming book ‘The Permaculture Garden’ is scheduled to be released in March 2025.
If listening to Huw has given you the bug to get serious with veg then I’d highly recommend you try out Westland’s Organic Vegetable Plant Food. A feed that provides every essential nutrient to boost your vegetable garden growth! No matter what your growing space is like, whether you have just a few pots, a single raised bed, a grow-bag or even a whole allotment, feeding your plants will give you an abundance of stronger, healthier and tastier vegetables while at the same time prevent disease too!
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
💻 My Website: Visit Here
☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
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🌱 This week we're talking about seeds!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
There are few things more exciting in the gardening world than the sheer plethora of seeds that we have at our disposal. We walk in a garden centre and the ranges on offer are overwhelming but what if I told you that there are thousands upon thousands more than all of these too?
One man who has made it his personal mission to hunt out and find the rare and unusual, the strange and the unique, is Mitch McCulloch, otherwise known as @mitch_grows. Mitch has now also charted his travels and discoveries in an extraordinary new book, which we go into detail on here. Listen along for that, and much more. Enjoy!
If you’d like to find out more about Mitch then do make sure to follow him on Instagram where you’ll find him as @mitch_grows. Mitch’s book ‘The Seed Hunter’ is out now from DK and is available from all good bookshops.
To get you set for seed sowing success, then make sure to use Westland’s John Innes Seed Sowing Compost. Naturally peat free, its perfect for bringing seeds to life for fast as well as healthy germination. Enriched with vermiculite to retain moisture and nutrients, it also feeds for the first three weeks. John Innes Seed Compost also contains sand for excellent drainage as well as coir and loam for perfect nutrient and moisture retention
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
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☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
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🌼 This week its all about the plants!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
Often we hear the terms ‘plantsman’ or ‘plantswoman’ or even ‘plantsperson’ but what makes someone a plantsperson? I’m not here to define that, but I know someone who is the perfect embodiment of that term and that is the wonderful Rosy Hardy. Rosy is fountain of knowledge, passion and expertise when it comes to plants, but in particular herbaceous perennials to be precise.
Rosy, one half of the duo behind Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, shares so much with us in this episode, including her insights into the year we’ve just experienced and just what we can do to think more about what our plants might need next year! Enjoy!
If you’d like to see more from Rosy then you can follow her on Instagram at @rosyhardygardening and you’ll find her on Instagram under the same name also. Do make sure to also seek out Hardy’s plants online at hardysplants.co.uk where you’ll be able to buy the very best perennials and find out more about those events include guest speaker David Hurrion and those last few tickets for the wreath making workshops too.
If you’re thinking about taking things further in your garden and giving your established plants and shrubs some care then try Westland’s John Innes Peat Free No. 3 compost. Especially formulated to nurture and also sustain mature plants for a longer life. This has been developed specially to also support shrubs too, with a long lasting nutrient rich mix. Complete with a four month feed it will also improve aeration as well as water management too! Westland, help you and your garden to grow!
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
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☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
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🪚 Let's talk garden power tools!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
When we garden, we use our hands, our minds and our bodies to work on the land and with the nature around us. Using tools and equipment to help us to do that quicker and easier is a vital part of enjoying more time to be in the garden. When it comes to power tools, there is one company that always comes to mind and that is German born, STIHL.
STIHL have been pioneers in power tools for over 90 years year now, working with both professionals and the amateur or home gardener, creating innovative battery and corded tools that just get the job done. In this episode I talk to STIHL GB’s E-commerce and Content Manager, Carmen Rosten. Carmen tells us all about the history of STIHL, just why they do what they do and she even lets slip what her favourite tool ever is….enjoy!
If you’d like to see more from STIHL then you can find them on Instagram at @stihlgb and do make sure to have a look at their YouTube Channel for all sorts of tool videos and also those Timbersports videos too! You’ll find them on YouTube also as STIHL GB
If you’re out in the garden this week and you’re looking for the perfect autumnal job then why not pot up some bulbs to give you colour all spring long? Fill your pots with Westland’s Bulb Planting & Potting Mix, which is a specially blended peat free compost. It has added zinc complex that naturally supports plant health for an abundance of stronger, healthier bulbs and vibrant flowers. It also contains grit to ensure there is free drainage with the perfect balance of nutrients, so you’ll have stunning vibrant displays come spring next year..
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
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☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
📩 Email Me: Here!
🪴Think week we've taken things indoors...
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
Now, when we use the word gardening, we all instantly think of the great outdoors and flowers and lawns but for this week’s conversation, we’re taking things indoors and into an indoor jungle to be precise! In my opinion, gardening is something you can do indoors or outdoors and houseplants are just indoor gardening!
Once a houseplant killer, I am now confidently keeping all of mine alive and that is largely due to wonderful advice and help from an excellent houseplant expert. Jonny Balchandani, otherwise known as The Bearded Plantaholic, is one of the most entertaining, but also knowledgeable people that I know and if you’ve not seen him before then you’re in for a huge treat! In this episode, we talk about how his jungle began, where it began and a huge thing that hes got coming up that you’re not going to want to miss!
And, I will warn you – this episode does contain a considerable amount of spicy language and swearing…
If you’d like to see more from Jonny, then you should head over to Instagram and follow him now, where you can find him as @thebeardedplantaholic! Jonny is going is charting his new houseplant exploits with the huge lorry container, over on his YouTube channel too, where you can find him once again as The Bearded Plantaholic.
If listening to Jonny has given you the push you needed to get stuck in with houseplants too or if you just want to give your existing collection a boost then do try some of Westland’s Houseplant Care range. With a wide range of indoor potting mixes and feeds that guarantee superb results, regardless of experience or ability. Including nutrient rich feeds and specially blended potting mixes, you’ll have everything you need for growing the very best orchids, cacti, succulents, bonsai, citrus plants and more - Westland have you covered.
Westland also understands that nurturing houseplants can sometimes be challenging, so they’ve created an online houseplant hub, packed full of expert guidance and product advice to help you cultivate a thriving indoor jungle. From videos on propagation and repotting, to articles on pet-friendly houseplants, check it out at gardenhealth.com/houseplant-hub
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
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☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
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👩🌾 This week we're stepping into the shoes of a head gardener!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
The life of a home gardener is one that we all know too well, and no matter how large our gardens we all follow a similar story each year. But do you ever think about what it might be like to be the head gardener of an estate or home? I often have and that’s what lead me to my guest on the podcast this week. Lucy Chamberlain is a garden writer, public speaker and plant expert, but she also just happens to be a former head gardener too! In this episode we talk about the day-to-day life of a head gardener, what it entails and just how attached you can get to a garden under your care! Enjoy!
If you’d like to see more from Lucy, then you can follow her on Instagram where you’ll find her as @lucychamberlaingardens. You’ll also likely see Lucy at garden shows up and down the country, giving the very best plant advice and also tours of the garden too. Lucy’s first book Step-by-Step Veg Patch is available to buy from all good booksellers and Lucy’s upcoming book, also with the RHS, called Grow Food Anywhere is out on 2nd January 2025 and you can pre-order that now from Waterstones
If listening to Lucy has inspired you to grow your own veg over the coming seasons then give yours the best chance by using Westland’s Organic Vegetable Plant Food! A specially tailored feed that provides all the essential nutrients to boost vegetable growth. Whether in a raised bed or planter, a grow bag or even in the ground; feed your crops weekly to help prevent disease and give you an abundance of stronger, healthier, tastier vegetables.
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
💻 My Website: Visit Here
☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
📩 Email Me: Here!
🪱🍄🟫 This week we’re discussing soil, soil health and the importance of proper mulching!
Welcome to Tales From The Potting Bench, a planty podcast where you’ll hear all manner of stories from knowledgeable, passionate and invaluable people who love plants as much as you and I.
We’re here at the monumental 7th season of the podcast and thanks to you, the listeners, we’re back with even more guests and this season promises to be even bigger, even better and with even more planty goodness! This season I'm focussing on those people who really know what they're talking about in a series of episodes I'm calling 'Experts In Their Field'.
Along with a brand-new season, is a brand-new sponsor, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m joined for season 7 by the powerhouse of the plant world, Westland Horticulture. Westland are dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools to help every gardener give it their best, season after season. Great gardening starts with great compost, and Westland has a trusted range of composts for your every gardening need, from giving your baskets and containers the best start in life filling your vegetable patch with nutrients ahead of a bountiful season.
When we learn to garden, we start with the real basics – how to sow a seed, which plants work well in our gardens and so much more (theres a pun there if you keep listening…). But one thing that we know to be true, is that we need to look after your soil and in return our soil will look after our plants. And theres no one I’d trust more when it comes to advice on soil health than ecologist and soil expert, Becky Searle, otherwise known as Sow Much More on Instagram. In this episode, Becky shares all about why our soil is important, what we can do to improve and exactly how we can go about doing it. This is a really informative episode and one that is going to get your improving your soil with ease! Enjoy!
If you’d like to see more from Becky then you can find her on Instagram as @Sow_Much_More. Becky is also available for talks at garden shows and clubs too and you’ll find out more about that and how to contact her, via her website sowmuchmore.co.uk
Another way to improve your garden, other than with the soil is to attract beneficial insects and wildlife into your green space and what better way to do that than with Unwins Nature’s Haven Easy Wildflowers Mix! A perfect blend of wildflower seeds and seed sowing granules to bring both colour and wildlife to your garden. Simply scatter around your garden and achieve a stunning wildflower display, simple!
✍️ Read My Latest Blog: Click Here
💻 My Website: Visit Here
☕ Join my Patreon: Click Here
📩 Email Me: Here!
The podcast currently has 179 episodes available.
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