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Episode 655: Planting Early, Protecting Brassicas & My First Real Beekeeping Experience

We’re at the end of April and everything suddenly feels early this year. Warm days, fast growth, and that sense that the season has properly kicked into gear. I’ve taken a few risks in the kitchen garden, made good progress down on the allotment, and had a beekeeping experience that’s left me more excited than ever about keeping my own hive. Here’s what’s been happening. From the Kitchen Garden; Planting Early I’ve done something I don’t normally do at this time of year: I planted out all my tender plants. Tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, peppers, courgettes — they’re all in the ground. It’s a gamble, but with fleece ready and plenty of backup plants, I’m willing to take the chance. The kitchen garden looks full now, even though a few brassicas are still flowering before they come out. A big job finally ticked off was moving the Belfast sinks that hold our herbs. With my brother’s help, they’re now in front of the potting shed and look much better there. Seed sowing is calming down,...
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Spring Pea & Mint Soup — Recipe of the Week

A Week on the Plot Late April always feels like the garden finally exhales. The mornings are still cool enough for a jumper, but by midday there’s that unmistakable scent of green in the air — fresh growth, damp soil warming through, and the quiet promise that the hungry gap is nearly behind us. Down on the allotment, the peas are stretching their tendrils towards the netting, the broad beans are standing sturdier by the day, and the first sowings of salad are beginning to look like something you might actually eat. It’s that lovely in‑between stage: still plenty of jobs to do, but enough signs of life to keep you smiling as you potter. In the Kitchen Garden Mint is already romping away, as mint always does, and if you’ve overwintered peas or have a stash in the freezer from last year, you’re in luck. This week’s recipe is one of those simple, bright bowls that tastes like spring in spoonable form. It’s quick enough for a midweek lunch, gentle enough for the cooler days, and fresh ...
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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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