The Veg Grower Podcast

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’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,

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.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Veg Grower Podcast. This week we’re taking a look at what’s happening both down on the allotment and in the kitchen garden, with plenty of harvesting, a few pest problems and some thoughts on storing our home-grown potatoes.

Allotment

We start the episode down on the allotment on a beautifully cool morning after another spell of very warm weather.

There’s plenty to talk about, including some damage to one of my sweetcorn cobs. Something has managed to pull the cob down and has been helping itself to the corn, so I’m trying to work out what might have caused the damage and what I can do to protect the remaining crop.

I’m also finding cabbage white butterfly eggs on my brassicas again. After dealing with a previous wave of caterpillars, it looks like we have another lot of eggs to contend with. Luckily, I spotted them early and have been removing them before they have a chance to hatch.

Despite the problems, there are some good harvests coming from the allotment, with courgettes and runner beans doing particularly well.

Kitchen Garden

Back in the kitchen garden, the tomatoes are continuing to produce, although the heat is having an effect.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse at home aren't producing particularly well, while the greenhouse tomatoes down on the allotment and the outdoor plants are doing much better. I’m also noticing tougher skins on some of the tomatoes, which I suspect is down to the lack of moisture.

I’m keeping a close eye on the apples and pears too, with the pears looking very close to being ready and the apples not far behind.

I’ve also been making use of our local community orchard and picking some apples, which is a great way of making the most of what is available locally.

Recipe of the Week

This week’s recipe of the week takes our home-grown produce and turns it into another tasty meal.

[Recipe details to be added from the remainder of the transcript.]

From the Podding Shed

And finally, we head into the Podding Shed, where this week we’re talking about potatoes.

I’ve been harvesting more of my potatoes and looking at how we can store some of that home-grown harvest so we can keep enjoying our potatoes rather than having to use them all at once.

It’s all about making that harvest go a little bit further and getting the most from the food we’ve grown ourselves.

This week’s episode comes from the second week of August, following one of the driest Julys on record. The allotment and kitchen garden are both feeling the strain, with soil baked so hard that water beads on the surface and runs off rather than soaking in. Despite the challenges, progress continues — from experimenting with greywater filtration to planning green manures and keeping established crops alive through the drought.

Allotment Update: Hydrophobic Soil & Survival Mode

The main theme this week is hydrophobic soil — ground so dry and compacted that it actively repels water. Beds have become rock‑hard, making digging, planting and watering difficult. Watering still has to be done by hand with cans, taking up to two hours to give each bed a proper deep soak. It’s heavy work, but essential for keeping established crops alive.

With conditions too harsh for planting out young plants, the focus has shifted to:

Keeping mature crops alive with deep, infrequent watering

Delaying new plantings until the soil can absorb moisture again

Planning ahead by clearing beds for a potato‑specific green manure

Tidying perennial areas like the gooseberry patch and bramble‑filled corners

Preparing for wetter weather so the site is easier to manage when conditions improve

Green manures have been a success in previous seasons, helping reduce pests and disease, and with blight not yet appearing this year, it’s a good moment to prepare beds for next year’s potato rotation.

Kitchen Garden: Greywater Trials & Practical Housekeeping

At home, the drought has prompted a deeper look at greywater reuse. After a failed experiment using water mint as a natural filter, a more structured filtration system has been tested:

A bucket drilled with holes

Layers of gravel, sand, charcoal and straw

Some success in removing contaminants

Some soap residues still present

It’s an ongoing experiment, but a promising step toward making greywater safer for garden use during droughts.

Other practical jobs this week include:

A garage clear‑out, removing broken petrol tools and freeing up space

A renewed focus on repairable, durable or compostable items to reduce waste

Sowing overwintering onions and radish for supporters, though germination is uncertain in the dry soil

Using mulches and compost to help established plants cope with the heat

Recipe of the Week: Smoked Sweetcorn & Courgette Salad

This week’s recipe is a vibrant summer dish that makes the most of seasonal produce:

Smoked sweetcorn and courgette salad with chilli butter croutons

Charred sweetcorn and courgette

Lime‑honey‑mustard dressing

Crisp chilli‑spiced breadcrumbs

It’s colourful, flavourful and pairs beautifully with grilled chicken — a perfect late‑summer plate.

Hydrophobic Soil: Causes, Fixes & Long‑Term Prevention

The episode closes with a detailed look at hydrophobic soil — what causes it, how to fix it, and how to prevent it in future droughts.

Why Soil Becomes Hydrophobic

Organic particles dry out and harden

Soil structure collapses

Water beads and runs off instead of soaking in

Beds flood when rain finally arrives because water cannot penetrate

Short‑Term Fixes

Repeated light watering with a fine rose

Laying damp hessian or cardboard to soften the surface

Bottom‑watering containers to wick moisture up

Gentle, patient rewetting rather than one heavy soak

Long‑Term Prevention

Regular additions of organic matter

Consistent mulching with straw, leaf mould or woodchips

Avoiding complete drying by giving a light weekly watering during drought

Using soil conditioners like coir or biochar

Adding shade or wind protection for exposed raised beds

Slow, deliberate watering or drip irrigation to allow moisture to penetrate

These techniques help rebuild soil structure, improve moisture retention and make gardens more resilient as droughts become more freq...