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’ll find out whether the remaining compost is ready to use.

The allotment greenhouse also had a tidy. A large pile of plastic pots has finally been taken home, freeing up space for tomatoes and cucumbers soon. Outside, the beds have been hoed, fed and prepared for the busy month ahead. The brassicas are ready to go into the taller corrugated beds, where netting can be added easily to keep pigeons away.

Watering has been important this week. The soil is drying quickly, so the potatoes, onions and garlic have all had a good drink. The garlic looks especially strong, and I’m hopeful the straw mulch may help reduce leek rust by stopping soil splash. The carrots and parsnips in the concrete drainpipes aren’t showing yet, but they’ve been watered and left to settle.

With the fruit trees in blossom and the straw bales ready for conditioning, the allotment feels set for the season ahead.

Kitchen Garden Update

Back home, the other two days of the Easter weekend were spent on long‑planned projects. The biggest job was finally getting electricity into the potting shed. Instead of running mains power, I’ve chosen to use the AllPowers S2000 battery pack — the same one that powered the chainsaw during the tree removal. With an LED overhead light and safe cabling installed, the shed is now a proper workspace for potting on during darker evenings.

I also tackled the plastic pot collection. With a new council dustbin arriving, the old bin has been cleaned with Jeyes Fluid and repurposed for pot storage. Clearing this area gave me access to the two‑tier cold frame, which has now been moved beside the greenhouse. It’s already being used to harden off young plants.

Inside the greenhouse, the AutoPot system has been cleaned, refilled and planted up with tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, peppers and strawberries. The peach tree and grapevine are still being moved in and out to avoid peach leaf curl, but the greenhouse is now fully in action.

In the Kitchen

Chef Scott brings an Easter‑themed recipe this week: a roast vegetable hash with herby eggs. It’s a great way to use up leftover veg from Easter lunch, and everything in the dish was home‑grown. Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, leeks and cabbage are chopped, crisped in a pan, mixed with fresh herbs and finished with eggs cooked in small wells. Simple, delicious and perfect for reducing waste.

The Hunger Gap

In the potting shed, I’ve been thinking about the hunger gap — that awkward stretch where winter stores are almost gone and the new season’s crops aren’t ready yet. The last leeks are looking tired, the kale is bolting, and the freezers are emptying. Meanwhile, the greenhouse is full of seedlings that promise abundance… just not yet.

To soften the hunger gap in future years, staggered sowings make a big difference. Overwintered onions, garlic, leeks and hardy salads help carry us through winter. Monthly sowings of leeks, carrots and cabbages spread the harvest across the year. Early undercover sowings of radishes, spring onions and salad leaves can also bridge the gap while the main crops catch up.

If you didn’t prepare ahead, there are still options. Microgreens offer fast, flavour‑packed greens in just a few days and can be grown anywhere. They won’t fill a plate, but they add freshness and punch at a time when it’s most welcome.

Competition: Win Tickets to Gardeners’ World Spring Fair

I have a pair of tickets to give away for Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu on Sunday 3rd May. It’s a brilliant day out, packed with plant stalls, show gardens, kitchen garden displays and the Beaulieu Motor Museum.

To enter, email richard@theveggrowerpodcast.co.uk and tell me your favourite microgreen to grow — or say you’ve never grown them but want to try. Entries close on 13th April.

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

The post Episode 652 Easter Gardening, Potato Planting & Tackling the Hunger Gap appeared first on The Veg Grower Podcast.



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