S5 Ep12: December - Caring for garden bats with Jo Ferguson - Bat Conservation Trust
This month, Chris chats with Jo Ferguson, Built Environment Manager at The Bat Conservation Trust. Jo has been involved in Bat conservation for over 15 years, and specialises in urban ecology and enhancing the built environment for bats. She shares why bats are important to the ecosystem, and how you can look after bats in urban gardens.
Also in this episode...
We’re reflecting on the triumphs of the 2025 gardening year. Fiona and Chris share their successes, and maybe a few fails as they prepare for a new year of sowing and growing. In the postbag, Fiona, Chris and Anton answer your questions on growing asparagus, sowing garlic and shallots, and our favourite topic, composting!
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S5 Ep11: November - The botany of the kitchen garden with Helena Dove
This month, we’re celebrating the slow beauty of autumn, from the changing of the leaves to creating colourful bulb trifles. There’s still so much joy you can get out of your garden, as we prepare for shorter days and longer nights.
In this episode, Fiona chats with Helena Dove, Kitchen Gardener at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Helena has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the physiology of vegetables, and teaches us how we can better understand the makeup of plant life.
In the postbag, Fiona, Chris and Emma answer your questions on using black plastic on the compost heap, how to help overwintering larvae, and how to prevent your apples from developing bitter pit.
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S5 Ep10: The importance of heritage vegetables with Raymond Blanc OBE
In this month’s episode, we're joined by Raymond Blanc OBE from his kitchen garden at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons. We toured the garden, which is home to over 100 heritage vegetable varieties. Raymond talks about his own gardening heritage, and how growing with his mother and father in France influenced the direction he's taken with Le Manoir's kitchen garden. We also hear from August Bernstein, head of the Raymond Blanc Gardening School, who chats with us about the relationship Le Manoir have with our Heritage Seed Library.
Also in this episode:
Fiona and Chris catch up in the potting shed to talk about their gardening tasks for October, and Lead Horticulturalist for the Heritage Seed Library, Marcin Salnikov joins the podcast this month to answer your questions on seed saving and heritage varieties.
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S5 Ep9: September: Getting to grips with green manures – with Dr Anton Rosenfeld
In this month’s episode, we’re diving deep in to the world of Green Manures, as Dr Anton Rosenfeld, Research Manager at Garden Organic explains how sowing these plants can be central to looking after your soil.
Also in this episode:
Fiona and Chris catch up to see how their harvests are going this year, and we answer your questions on what type of sand you can use in the garden, when not to harvest rhubarb and what to do when your potato plants result in no yield whatsoever.
For more advice on Green Manures visit our website: https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/garden-management/soil/green-manures
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S5 Ep8: August - Start with Soil: Why Less is More with Juliet Sargeant
In this month's podcast, we're joined by garden designer, broadcaster, and author Juliet Sargeant. Juliet has just released her first book, Start with Soil, in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She discusses the global impact of soil degradation and shares how gardeners can take control of their own soil health with simple at-home testing.
Also in this episode...
Fiona and Chris celebrate a summer of gardening successes (despite a few heatwaves), and Anton joins to answer your questions on banana peel water, no-dig gardening in raised beds, and whether it’s safe to use washing-up liquid in the garden.
Inspiration to help you garden the organic way, with advice, tips and interviews from the UK's leading organic gardening organisation, Garden Organic. Hosted by Fiona Taylor and Chris Collins.
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