The Veg Grower Podcast Richard

This week on the veg grower podcast, Richard has been busy potting on young plants, sowing parsnips and tending to his Rhubarb.







Potting on







We start this week in the greenhouse, where Richard is potting on lots of young plants into bigger and bigger pots. Richard like to wait for the compost to have plenty of roots before potting up. That way the root ball comes out easily and the compost doesn't get wasted.







Potting up is essential for encouraging growth in our young plants. Given the roots more space to stretch out and search for moisture and nutrients.







Richard usually uses a large collection of plastic pots which get re used over and over again. However he is also using some biodegradable pots including some from wool pots.







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Sowing parsnips.







This week Richard has sown some parsnips. Parsnips of course being a fantastic tasty winter veg.







But getting parsnips seeds to germinate can be tricky!!!







Richard believes this to be due to the soil temperature. Parsnip seed germinates in soil above 12c. There's an old wives tail about how to test if the soil is warm enough but the best way to test is with a soil thermometer.







Chef Scott's recipe of the week.







This week chef Scott has a delicious Asparagus hummus recipe for you to try. A great way to make a healthy tasty dip from your asparagus harvests.







Rhubarb check up.







Inspired by the asparagus recipe Richard heads over to his asparagus and rhubarb to make a few pickings. Rhubarb is in plentiful supply currently but flower spikes have appeared.







Flower spikes on Rhubarb is usually a sign of stress. Given the weather its not surprising and its easy to rectify.

Join Richard in this weeks episode of the veg grower podcast. This week Richard feels like its all coming together as he is is looking at making more space in his greenhouse by using cold frames. He plants out some cabbages and cauliflowers. Also the grass paths have had their first cut at the allotment. Chef Scott shares an rhubarb BBQ sauce recipe too.







Making room in the greenhouse.







Like many of us Richard has lots of seedlings in his greenhouse and on his windowsills. But at this time of year a greenhouse also needs to be used for the growing of food.







Richard now turns to his cold frames as a way of making more room in greenhouses and to harden off his plants.







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Its all coming together.







One thing we have to do to grow our own food is plant plants!







This week Richard has planted out his summer cabbages and cauliflowers, two of the hardest vegetables to grow.







Richard talks you through his process of preparing the ground and planting out the plants and how to protect from pigeons.







Chef Scott's recipe of the week







This week Chef Scott has a delicious BBQ sauce using rhubarb for you to try. BBQ season is just around the corner and there's plenty of Rhubarb being harvested.







The first cut.







And finally we end with the first cut of the grass paths on the allotment. But the grass clippings don't get wasted, they can be used to make compost or for mulching the brassicas planted out earlier.

Join Richard in this weeks podcast as he opens up some bags of compost and prepares his hazel sticks for use

Join us in this weeks episode of the veg grower podcast where Richard wants to guide you through his journey of growing hi s own food on his allotment and vegetable garden. This week we have the seed of the month from premiers seeds, A visit to the Vegepod garden and how Richard has won the battle with whitefly. Lets not forget the draw for the name that chicken is taken place.







Seed of the month: Dragons egg Cucumber







With Easter and the beginning of the month coinciding, it only seemed fitting that the seed of the month for April be a dragons egg Cucumber. This promotion is in collaboration with premier seeds direct a great resource for all your seed needs. Premier seeds direct sell very reasonably priced seeds but to save even more money use discount code VEGPOD10 when shopping with them.







The Dragons egg cucumber is a white egg looking cucumber that looks stunning and produces plenty of cucumbers. Sow now for a summer harvest and in this episode you will hear how Richard grows his.







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The Vegepod Garden







Its time to revisit the Vegepod garden. Richard's Vegepod garden is located on his patio and consists of 3 Vegepod. Small medium and large all of which has different uses.







In this weeks podcast Richard takes you through his Vegepod and shares what's growing currently. he also shares what's next to do in his vegepod's.







Chef Scott's recipe of the week.







Each week chef Scott shares a delicious recipe and this week its a broad bean and apricot salsa. Just in time for our broad bean harvests.







How we beat whitefly







Whitefly has been a problem for Richard this year. And the loses have been mounting.







However this did give Richard the chance to test out methods for tackling whitefly that sit with Richards ideology. The methods richard used that worked are









Grazers g3 but this needs to be used before whitefly appears







Natural predators such as lady birds







A jet of water to blow of the whitefly







Horticultural soap









and now the whitefly is reduced.







And the winner is.







This month we launched a competition called name that chicken. There was lots of entries but there could only be one winner.







And the winning name is Heggwig.







Congratulations to the winner.

Welcome to this week's episode of the Veg Grower Podcast! I'm Richard, and my mission is to inspire and empower more people to grow their own food. Join me as we feel it is now time to spring clean the garden and allotment.







Time to Spring Clean the Garden:







As spring unfolds, it's time to rejuvenate our gardens. Learn how to integrate new chickens into your flock, tidy up neglected areas, and repurpose straw bales for mulching and composting. Discover the benefits of repurposing old structures, like transforming a quail cage into a hedgehog house. Plus, get insights into combating persistent pests like whitefly with organic solutions.







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Support the Veg Grower Podcast by rating and reviewing on your podcast platform. Join our Supporters Club for exclusive content and monthly seed packs to boost your gardening journey. Find out more by clicking the button below











Planting Potatoes and Combatting Couch Grass:







Join me at the allotment as we plant potatoes and tackle couch grass. Learn the importance of soil preparation, spacing, and mulching for successful potato cultivation. Discover how potatoes can help suppress weeds like couch grass and the optimal timing for planting different varieties.







Chef Scott Recipe of the Week:







Stay tuned for Chef Scott's delicious recipe using fresh garden produce! This week its a delicious spring cabbage roll recipe which is just delicious.







Maintaining the Fruit Garden:







Explore strategies for maintaining a thriving fruit garden in limited space. Discover the benefits of container gardening and the importance of relocating potted plants for optimal sunlight. Learn how to protect delicate fruit trees from late frosts and diseases like peach leaf curl. Plus, dive into fruit propagation techniques like layering to expand your garden's bounty.







Conclusion:







As we wrap up, remember that spring cleaning isn't just about tidying up; it's about setting the stage for a fruitful season ahead. Join me next time as we continue our gardening journey together.