The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

1. 1
   Number 1: Episode 675-Autumn Inspiration at Audley End: Walled Gardens, Wildlife Ideas & Seasonal Growing Motivation

   This week Richard takes us out of the kitchen garden and allotment and over to Audley End House in Essex for the Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair — the final show of the year and a perfect chance to gather fresh inspiration as we head into autumn. Victorian Walled Gardens & Orchard Training Richard begins his visit in the Victorian kitchen gardens, admiring productive orchard beds, fan‑trained fruit trees and beautifully maintained glasshouses. Apples, pears, asparagus and late‑season veg are thriving despite the challenging summer, and the structure of the garden reinforces that his own move toward a more formal, kitchen‑garden layout at home is the right direction. Make a Metre Matter: Lucy Chamberlain’s Autumn Garden Richard then meets up with Lucy Chamberlain to explore the final instalment of her Make a Metre Matter project — nine themed square metres designed to show what can be achieved in small spaces. Highlights include: Wildlife habitats for autumn and winter, using windfall apples, moss, bamboo canes and log piles Woodland ecology, with bracket fungi and chestnut stumps supporting stag beetle larvae Heat‑loving edibles like tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and basil to extend the harvest Edible flowers and vertical veg for colour and productivity A feature wormery, proving composting can be attractive as well as practical Heat‑tolerant crops such as curly kale and Malabar spinach Hardy winter salads including chicory, radicchio and mizuna Leaf mould demonstrations showing the stages of decomposition A metre dedicated to winter casserole ingredients — beetroot, carrots, kale, potatoes and swede The garden offers practical, achievable ideas for changing climates and small spaces, and gives Richard plenty of inspiration for his own plot. Recipe of the Week Back in the kitchen, Richard shares a warming aubergine and tomato gratin with a crispy potato topping — a perfect way to use up late‑summer veg before autumn fully settles in. Show Highlights & Heading Home A wander around the stalls reveals end‑of‑season bargains and familiar exhibitors. Richard picks up a few gifts and a robin‑on‑a‑spade ornament before heading home, feeling motivated to make the most of warm soil now and shift into infrastructure work as winter approaches. 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

   September 14, 2026·32min
   Play
2. 2
   Number 2: Episode 674: The Growing Season Isn’t Over Yet!

   After what has been a really difficult summer for growing, things are finally starting to feel like they are turning a corner. The rain has returned, the gardens are coming back to life and there is still plenty of time to grow more food before winter. Kitchen Garden Update Richard’s kitchen garden has been a hive of activity this week. With the change in weather making a real difference. He is finding that tomatoes, aubergines and chillies are still producing. While spent crops are being cleared away and replaced with fresh compost from the HotBin and wormery. Richard has also been working on my idea of using herbs around the edges of the beds, with sage, rosemary, thyme and chives helping to create a useful border while providing plenty of herbs to use in the kitchen. There is still plenty that we can sow in September too.Richard has been sowing short, stubby carrots, winter lettuces, mustards, mizuna, pak choi and spring onions, along with chard and spinach in the potting shed. With so many empty spaces appearing at this time of year, Richard is determined to keep filling them and make the most of what is left of the growing season. Allotment Update Things are finally starting to move again on the allotment after what has been a very difficult summer. The return of the rain has brought the grass back to life. Which is good news for the compost heap as we finally have some much-needed green material. It also feels like a sign that we can get back to gardening properly. Richard has been planting out brassicas including spring cabbage, kale, winter cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli, particularly into beds that have become available after harvesting potatoes. There are also plenty of leafy greens going in, including lettuce, chard, spinach and oriental greens. Along with herbs such as parsley, coriander and chervil. And for those empty beds that aren’t going to be planted with vegetables, green manures are once again proving their worth. Richard has been sowing winter tares and field beans to keep the soil covered and working over the winter, ready for next year’s growing season. There’s also been plenty of general tidying up to get the allotment back on top of things after the drought. Recipe of the Week This week’s recipe from Chef Scott is a little unusual but turned out to be a surprisingly good combination. We’re making a late summer tomato and grape bake with a herby crouton topping. With plenty of tomatoes and grapes available at this time of year, this is a great way of using some of them up. The tomatoes and grapes were roasted with onion, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs before being finished with crispy homemade croutons. We served ours with pasta, although there are a few options for changing it up, including adding feta or a little balsamic. From the Podding Shed – The Bees Finally, we head back to the podding shed for an update on my first season of beekeeping. Unfortunately, it looks like I won’t be taking any honey for myself this year. The extremely dry summer has meant that the nectar flow hasn’t been strong enough, although the bees have still been producing honey. The priority now is making sure the colony has enough food to get through the winter. I’ve removed the super and the bees currently have around five and a half frames of honey in the brood box, so we’re getting close to where we need them to be. The bees are also now receiving their Varroa treatment, and over the next few weeks I’ll be making sure the hive is secure and continuing to monitor the colony. It’s been a fascinating first year of beekeeping and, despite the costs involved and the 45-minute drive each way to the apiary, I’m already thinking about adding more hives next year. The Growing Season Isn’t Over Yet If this difficult summer has left you feeling like giving up on the garden, September is a good time to get back out there. There are still plenty of crops that can be sown and planted, empty beds can be filled with winter crops or green manures, and there is still plenty of food that we can grow before winter arrives. So let’s make the most of what is left of the growing season. 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

   September 07, 2026·29min
   Play
3. 3
   Number 3: Episode 673: The New Growing Season Starts Now

   There’s a definite change happening in the garden now. Summer might still be hanging on, but I’m already looking ahead to autumn, winter and, believe it or not, the growing season of 2027. The recent rain has been very welcome after such a dry year and it has made a big difference to the garden. There’s plenty going on as we start preparing for the months ahead, so let’s get into this week’s episode. Allotment The rain has finally arrived, and after such a dry year I certainly wasn’t complaining. The moisture has made the soil much easier to work and, more importantly, it has made pulling those pesky weeds out considerably easier. I’ve been getting stuck into the autumn and winter growing season, planting out winter and spring cabbages, kale and cauliflowers. Some of the kale planted earlier struggled during the dry weather, but the new plants are now going into the ground with much better conditions. I’m also preparing beds for my overwintering crops. The garlic will be going in towards the end of September, with the overwintering onion sets following in October, so now is the time to get those beds ready with compost and make sure they are weed-free and in good condition. Green manures are also playing a big part. I’ve been sowing winter tares between my rows of leeks and using green manures in other beds where there is still space. It’s a technique I’ve been experimenting with, effectively getting two jobs done in the same space while the soil is still warm enough for those green manures to establish. Supporters Club This week I also take a look at what’s been happening in the Veg Grower Podcast Supporters Club. September’s seed pack is now being sent out, with a selection of seeds chosen specifically for sowing during the month. This includes winter tares, cauliflower, mibuna, tatsoi and spring onion ‘White Lisbon’, along with our herb seed of the month, chervil. The Supporters Club costs just £5 a month and includes extra podcasts, the monthly seed pack and our monthly newspaper, which contains growing instructions, jobs to do and space to keep track of what you’re growing. Potting Shed – Seed of the Month This month’s seed of the month is spring onion ‘White Lisbon’ from Premier Seeds Direct. Spring onions might traditionally make us think of spring and summer, but ‘White Lisbon’ is a great variety for growing through the cooler months. I like to sow them every few weeks from September through to March, giving us a succession of spring onions to harvest. They can be sown directly into the ground, or started off in trays and planted out later. They don’t need a huge amount of attention, but keeping them moist and weed-free will help them along. Once established, they can be harvested from around six to eight weeks, although I prefer to let mine get to a decent pencil thickness before pulling them up. Kitchen Garden There’s still plenty happening in the kitchen garden despite the change in season. The recent moisture has brought some of the carrots that were sown earlier in the year back to life, with seeds that had been sitting in the dry soil finally germinating. Hopefully that means we’ll get a late crop of carrots from those beds. I’ve also been continuing with my polyculture approach, filling spaces as they become available with winter and spring brassicas. Cauliflowers, kale and cabbages are all being planted out, while some plants have been thinned out and potted on to give them a little more time to grow before going into their final positions. I’ve also been adding more herbs around the garden. Cuttings of rosemary and sage have been rooted and potted on, while thyme and other herbs are being planted around the edges of the beds. The idea is that these plants will eventually help create a useful border, provide some shelter and act as companion plants. And we’re still harvesting plenty of summer produce, including tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, chillies and courgettes. The grapes have also been particularly good this year, with plenty being harvested and enjoyed fresh – although there are plans to do something else with some of them too! Recipe of the Week This week’s recipe makes the most of two crops that are producing well right now: aubergines and tomatoes. I take two small aubergines, slice and fry them in olive oil until golden, then set them aside while I cook tomatoes and garlic in the same pan. Meanwhile, breadcrumbs are fried with butter, oil and herbs until crisp. The aubergines are then topped with the tomato mixture, crispy herby breadcrumbs and some grated cheese. It’s a really simple dish, but it makes a delicious meal and is a great way to use some of those late-summer harvests. In the Potting Shed with Ade Sellers Throughout August we’ve been reading The Plot on the Hill: The Carrot Catastrophe by Ade Sellers, and this week Ade joins me in the Potting Shed to talk about the book. We chat about Ade’s journey from working in television and film to becoming a gardener, writer and garden media personality, as well as his allotment and the inspiration behind the book. The Plot on the Hill: The Carrot Catastrophe is aimed primarily at children aged around 8 to 12 and is built around the magic and imagination of an allotment. At the centre of the story is Hornbeam, a little sprite who lives beneath an allotment shed and acts as a guardian of the plot, along with a collection of animal friends. Ade explains how his own childhood experiences of visiting an allotment with his dad helped inspire the story, and we talk about encouraging children to put down their phones, get outside, get muddy and let their imaginations run wild. We also look at the possibility of future books in the series and Ade’s work on the In Conversation stage at Gardeners’ World Live. Your Questions This week Lynn gets in touch with a question about overwintering onions grown from seed. She’s already sown her onion seeds and wants to know when they should be planted out and whether they need any protection over winter. I explain why it’s important to let the plants get strong before planting them out, why September and October can be good times to get them into the garden, and how hardy onions actually are. And Finally… That’s another packed episode of the Veg Grower Podcast. As we move towards September, it’s easy to think that the growing season is coming to an end. But for me, it feels much more like the beginning of the next season. There are brassicas to plant, garlic and onions to prepare for, green manures to sow and plenty of crops still producing food. So don’t put the gardening tools away just yet – there’s still plenty to grow. 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

   August 31, 2026·42min
   Play
4. 4
   Number 4: Episode 672-Rain Returns, Soil Softens & A Fresh Push Toward Winter Crops

   After one of the driest Julys I can remember, this week finally brought the kind of rain that transforms a garden overnight. Every one of my sixteen water butts refilled, the soil softened enough to dig again, and the whole plot seemed to sigh with relief. It’s amazing how quickly things bounce back once moisture returns, and it’s given me a renewed push to get winter crops established while conditions are favourable. Kitchen Garden Update The kitchen garden has responded brilliantly to the rain. Outdoor tomatoes are ripening beautifully, with a good mix of varieties coming through now that they’ve had a proper drink. The greenhouse, however, has been a challenge — temperatures hitting 32°C have stalled both tomatoes and cucumbers. Ventilation is top of the winter improvement list, and I’m working on a way to keep the greenhouse door propped open without it slamming shut. Herbs, beans and late brassicas have perked up noticeably. The chickens are laying consistently too — three eggs a day in mixed colours — which always feels like a small daily reward for keeping things ticking over. Water management has been a big focus. With the butts full again, I’m back to experimenting with irrigation aids. Clay pot reservoirs are proving effective, and the AutoPot spider has been a standout success — the tomato planted over it is outperforming every other plant in the bed. I’ll be investing in more of these. Greywater is still part of the routine, but with the rain arriving I can rely on it a little less. Allotment Update The allotment has been transformed by the rain. After weeks of rock‑hard soil, I can finally weed properly, dig out bramble roots and tidy the gooseberry area. Winter brassicas — kale and cabbages — are going in now that the ground is workable again. One frustration this week was discovering that almost all the pears have vanished from my tree. No windfalls, no half‑eaten fruit, nothing on the ground — which sadly suggests they’ve been taken. It’s disheartening, and I may need to consider some gentle deterrents in future. Apples are looking promising, and grapes have been a pleasant surprise both at home and when visiting friends. Compost production has slowed due to the lack of lawn clippings, so I’m filling extra bins with woody material and saving what I can for next year’s potato beds. With more rain forecast, the priority now is catching up on planting and strengthening the plot’s drought resilience for future seasons. Recipe of the Week: Late‑Summer Herby Potato & Green Bean Bake This week’s recipe is a comforting late‑summer bake that makes brilliant use of current harvests. Thinly slice parboiled potatoes and layer them with blanched green beans, onion, garlic, herbs and olive oil. Add cherry tomatoes or cheese if you fancy it. Bake until golden and bubbling. It’s simple, hearty and freezes well — perfect for using up those beans that suddenly arrive all at once. Lisa & Alistair’s Garden Project I revisited Lisa and Alistair’s new vegetable garden this week, and they’ve made fantastic progress. They’ve pruned the fruit trees, cleared dead wood, reclaimed planting space and even sourced a greenhouse from Facebook Marketplace. The next steps are clear and manageable: finish clearing the 8×3 metre vegetable area install hedgehog homes draw up proper plans before any major digging begins Their grape harvest has been a real highlight, and it’s exciting to see their plot taking shape. They’re building a garden with intention, and it’s going to serve them well. 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

   August 24, 2026·31min
   Play
5. 5
   Number 5: Episode 664: Heatwave Gardening – Early Mornings, Water Wisdom & Edible Ponds

   Welcome to Episode 664 of the Veg Grower Podcast. This week has been shaped by one thing: heat. With temperatures soaring and humidity making everything feel heavier, Richard has been adapting his gardening routine to keep both the kitchen garden and the allotment thriving during a heatwave. In this episode, he shares how early mornings, deep watering, mulching, and a few clever tools have helped him stay on top of things during a UK heatwave. If you’re growing food in hot weather — or want to be prepared for when the next heatwave arrives — this is an episode worth listening to. In the Kitchen Garden: Heatwave Gardening The kitchen garden has been a challenge and a joy this week. With the house feeling like an oven, Richard has been heading outside at 5:30am to make the most of the cooler hours. These peaceful early mornings have become the perfect time to water, tidy, and enjoy the garden before the heat sets in. In the podcast, Richard talks about: How he’s using deep watering to keep crops alive Why his Ryobi pump has been a huge time‑saver Filling gaps with tomatoes, chillies and peppers Updates from the edible pond and its oxygenating plants Improvements planned for the chicken area What’s been harvested despite the heat If you want to hear how the kitchen garden is coping — and what’s thriving — tune in to the full episode. Down the Allotment It’s been a productive week on the allotment too, especially with a fantastic 6kg harvest of Morello cherries. Richard shares how he processed them and what’s next for the stone fruit trees now that harvesting is complete. In the episode, you’ll hear about: Summer pruning of cherries, peaches and plums How straw mulch has been the hero of the heatwave What’s growing well in straw bale beds Sweetcorn, squash, pumpkins and onions This week’s allotment harvests If you’re looking for practical allotment tips for hot weather, this segment is packed with them. Recipe of the Week Tomato & Herb Summer Salad with Chickpeas This week’s recipe is a refreshing, no‑cook dish perfect for hot weather and ideal for using up homegrown tomatoes and herbs. You’ll find the full recipe in its own blog post. From the Podding Shed In this week’s reflective segment, Richard talks about how gardening is changing as UK summers become hotter. He shares his thoughts on adapting our growing methods, staying safe in extreme heat, and planning for the future. Topics include: Working early or late in the day Staying hydrated and sun‑safe Providing water for wildlife and chickens Increasing rainwater storage Growing more drought‑tolerant edible crops Why mulch continues to be essential It’s a thoughtful discussion about how we can all continue growing food even as the climate shifts.

   June 29, 2026·32min
   Play