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Episode 654: What’s Really Growing This Week — And How Do You Label It All?

This week on the Veg Grower Podcast, Richard takes us through that wonderful mid‑April moment when everything suddenly bursts into life. The allotment is waking up fast, the kitchen garden is buzzing with activity, and even the potting shed has a surprisingly important topic to tackle. There’s been planting, sowing, weeding, rescuing, and—thanks to a small accident—some very seasonal cooking too. It’s been a full and productive week, and Richard shares it all. On the Allotment Richard begins the week down on the allotment, where the next batch of potatoes has gone into the ground. This time it’s the Maris Piper, the first of the maincrop varieties and one of Richard’s favourites for roasting and chipping. The method stays simple: a hole, a seed potato, a sprinkle of fertiliser, a layer of compost and a good watering. There’s excitement too, because the Rocket potatoes planted earlier in the season have now pushed their first leaves through the soil. Those tiny green shoots are alway...
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Episode 653 — Seedlings, Straw Bales & the Aphid Battle Begins

This week’s episode takes us from a sun‑soaked kitchen garden to a windswept allotment and finally into the potting shed, where a familiar spring pest has been causing more trouble than usual. With seedlings on the move, potatoes going into the ground, and straw bales warming up for the season ahead, Episode 653 is packed with early‑season momentum — and a few challenges along the way. In the Kitchen Garden: Bees, Weeds & a Big VegePod Move The week began with one of those in‑between moments — waiting for the hairdresser to arrive, not enough time for a big job, but too much time to sit still. So Richard grabbed his gloves and did what many gardeners do: a quick “just a few weeds” session. That small job revealed something wonderful. The brassicas left to flower — Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbages, cauliflower — were alive with bees. Clouds of them. A simple decision to let plants bolt for seed saving has turned into a pollinator magnet, proving how tiny choices can make a huge...
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Early Rhubarb & Ginger Crumble Bars

There’s something about April rhubarb that feels like a reward for getting through winter. Those bright pink stems push up through the soil long before most fruit is even thinking about growing, and every year it catches me by surprise. It’s sharp, it’s cheerful, and it brings a burst of colour to the kitchen at a time when we all need it. This week’s recipe turns that early rhubarb into something you can enjoy with a cup of tea after a morning on the allotment — crumble bars . They’re part traybake, part pudding, part snack‑you‑pretend‑is‑healthy because it contains fruit. The ginger adds warmth, the crumble topping gives you that classic comfort, and the whole thing holds together well enough to pop into a lunchbox. It’s a lovely way to use the first harvest of the season without going down the usual crumble or compote route. Ingredients For the rhubarb filling 400g rhubarb, chopped 75g caster sugar 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tbsp water For the base and crumble 200g pla...
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Episode 652 Easter Gardening, Potato Planting & Tackling the Hunger Gap

This Easter weekend has been a rare treat. Four full days in the garden, decent weather, and plenty of progress across both the allotment and the kitchen garden. In this week’s episode, I share what’s been happening on the plot, the projects completed at home, and my thoughts on the hunger gap as we move deeper into spring. Allotment Update I spent two full days on the allotment and made a real dent in the to‑do list. The first job was cutting the grass. My allotment mower failed last week, so I brought the kitchen‑garden mower down to stand in for now. The old Ryobi will get a closer look soon, but six years of allotment life is not bad going for a budget machine. With the grass sorted, I moved on to potatoes. This week I planted ‘Nicola’, a second early variety I’ve grown many times. That brings me to one and a half beds planted, with the same amount still to go. The compost from the corrugated‑iron bin has mulched the beds beautifully, although that bin is now empty. Next week I’...
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Easter Roast Veg Hash with Herby Eggs

Easter weekend always seems to arrive with that mix of celebration and gentle pottering. There’s usually a roast dinner somewhere in the plans, and with it comes the familiar tray of leftover carrots, parsnips, potatoes and whatever greens were hanging around. This recipe turns those leftovers into something warm and comforting, the sort of dish that fits neatly between sowing sessions or after a morning checking on seedlings. It’s flexible, thrifty, and full of the early spring flavours that gardeners have to hand right now. The long weekend often means more time in the garden, but also more meals to think about. A roast veg hash bridges that gap nicely. It uses what’s already cooked, folds in a handful of fresh herbs from the garden, and becomes a proper meal once the eggs settle into the top. It’s relaxed cooking for a relaxed weekend, and it feels very much in tune with the season. Ingredients Leftover roasted veg: carrots, parsnips, potatoes, leeks, sprouts, cabbage A splash ...
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Episode 651: Pea Planting, Beetroot Basics & A Year on the Waterway – Early Spring in the Garden

This Week in the Kitchen Garden Richard opens this week’s episode by describing that classic early‑spring rush — the moment when the light improves, the soil warms and suddenly everything seems to need doing at once. As he puts it, “everything at the moment seems to be growing at double speed” . He talks about how the overwintered peas under cloches have suddenly surged, even showing their first flowers. With flowers come tendrils, so he’s been adding pea sticks to keep them upright and protected from the wind. Indoors and outdoors, he’s been sowing even more peas to keep the harvests rolling. Back in the potting shed, Richard explains that the seedlings — tomatoes, chilies, aubergines, celery — are growing so fast that some “seem to suddenly outgrow their pots overnight” . Space is tight, so the cold frames are now full, helping to harden off young plants while still shielding them from chilly nights. Seed of the Month: Beetroot Richard’s seed of the month for April is beetroo...
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Recipe of the Week: One‑Pan Spring Greens & New Potato Hash with a Fried Egg

There’s a moment every spring when the kitchen and the garden seem to meet in the middle. The days are still cool enough to want something warm and comforting, but the first fresh greens are ready to pick, and suddenly the plate starts to look a little brighter. This hash is exactly that sort of dish — simple, earthy, and perfect for those days when you’ve been outside sowing peas, shifting compost, or getting the cold frames ready. It’s the kind of meal you can throw together with whatever you’ve got to hand. A few stored potatoes, a handful of overwintered kale or chard, maybe the first tender spinach leaves of the year. And then a fried egg on top, because there’s nothing quite like a runny yolk to bring everything together. Ingredients 400g new potatoes or small stored potatoes, diced A good handful of spring greens, kale, chard or spinach, chopped 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed Olive oil Salt and pepper A pinch of smoked paprika (optional) 1 egg pe...
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