The Gardener Ben Podcast

This week's episode is all about autumn sewing sweet peas. The weather has become so changeable, but I used to enjoy putting my greenhouse to bed for the winter and not having to worry about it during the festive period. This year, however, I’m going to sew my sweet peas in October and November and bring them on slowly and steadily in the greenhouse. Follow my step-by-step guide to guarantee success for long, strong, and cut stems next year.

I’m also joined on this week's podcast by Michael Randall of @misfit_plants, who brought his collection of weird, wonderful, and unusual plants to our open garden event back in June 2024.

In this week's episode of the Garden of Ben podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of having a lovely informal chat with Matilda and Natalie, who together run @sorelle_dorset.

Nestled in North Dorset, just outside of Shaftesbury, the sisters have established not only a café and bistro but also a half-acre flower farm. Head to their Instagram account to show them some love, and be sure to give this episode of the podcast a listen!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode Five of the Gardener Ben Podcast!

Today’s episode is all about bare root roses. We’ll cover everything you need to know, from taking delivery and unpackaging to rehydrating, making soil improvements, planting, and aftercare. Our goal is to ensure that your new plants get off to a smooth start and bloom in just a few months, bringing you years of enjoyment.

Next week, I have the pleasure of being joined by Natalie and Matilda, sisters who run a café and event space alongside their flower farm in North Dorset. Be sure to check out their Instagram, and if you’re local, consider popping by to either buy yourself a seasonal, locally grown bunch of flowers or treat yourself to brunch or an exquisitely made cup of coffee. You can find them on social media using @sorelle_dorset.

Episode Four

Hey—where’s my rose……dude!

Today’s episode showcases my abilities, and I am unbelievably pleased to welcome my first guest to the podcast. Today, I’ll be talking to Jeff, who is known across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube as (therosedude). He’s a rose enthusiast and, more importantly, a home rose hybridizer, sharing his passion for creating new varieties from his garden.

I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Tune in to next week’s episode, which is all about unpacking, rehydrating, planting, and caring for bare root roses.

Happy gardening!

Episode three of the Gardner Ben podcast is all about getting the garden ready for winter, and most specifically how you can protect your roses from the worst of the winter weather. If you still have any questions regarding this subject, feel free to watch the video that you can find on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube; it’s available for you to watch at any time.

This week, we will be off pumpkin picking, adding another wheelbarrow full of these brightly colored fruits to our display here at the Cottage. I grew four varieties myself this year, and over the coming weeks, slowly but surely, these will be cooked into a multitude of different dishes, including pumpkin macaroni cheese, where the roasted flesh is added to the cheese sauce, pumpkin pie, and of course, everybody’s autumn favorite: pumpkin, sweet potato, and parsnip soup.

Now is also not the time to let up on your autumn lawn care routine, and if possible, you need to keep up with not only the mowing of the lawn but also the clearing of any fallen debris and leaves.

On next week's episode, I have the pleasure of talking to Jeff, who is known as ‘therosedude.’ You will find him operating social media channels across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Like me, he’s a huge rose enthusiast and home rose hybridizer.

I hope you enjoy today’s episode. Feel free to leave me a comment below and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Episode Two

In this episode, we focus on preparing your garden for winter. We'll discuss the best practices for lifting and storing Dahlias, as well as providing winter protection for plants like Calla lilies and bananas.

If you have any questions or if there's a specific topic you'd like me to cover in the podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below or reach out on any of my social media platforms. You can find me on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads at the handle @the_gardenerben. In today’s episode, I also address a question from YouTube about the measures and precautions I'm taking in my garden to combat climate change.

Join me again next week as I delve into winterizing the rose garden and preparing for Bare root roses, along with the exciting planting season ahead!

The first episode of the Gardener Ben podcast an interview with husband Mark Getting into the gardener Ben a bit better.

Intro to who Gardener Ben is and what his podcast is all about.

Link to Instragram

https://www.instagram.com/the_gardenerben?igsh=ZnJwaHJieHRkZHlt