Master My Garden Podcast

John Jones
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Home & Garden
  • Updated Weekly

Master My Garden podcast with John Jones. The gardening podcast that helps you master your own garden. With new episodes weekly packed full of gardening tips, how to garden guides, interviews with gardening experts on many gardening topics and just about anything that will help you in your garden whether you are a new or a seasoned gardener. I hope you enjoy.John

  1. 3d ago

    - EP355 "Planting A Hedge ? Listen Before You Buy A Single Plant" Choose The Right Hedge

    The quickest way to waste money on a hedge is to choose with your eyes first and your site second. With bare-root season around the corner, we walk you through a simple decision process that stops costly mistakes and helps you pick hedge plants that actually suit your garden, your soil and the amount of maintenance you can commit to over the years.  We start with the big questions: what do you need the hedge to do, do you want privacy or shelter, are you trying to stock-proof a boundary, or are you building a wildlife-friendly habitat? From there we look at real-world garden conditions that make or break a hedge, like waterlogged patches along an otherwise dry run, coastal wind, exposure and frost. We also clear up the evergreen versus deciduous choice, including why beech hedging behaves like an “almost evergreen” option most of the year.  Then we get practical with a wide range of popular choices. We talk through evergreen hedges such as yew, holly, privet, box, lonicera nitida, escallonia, griselinia and laurel, including the key caveats around disease, cold damage and invasive potential depending on variety and management. On the deciduous side we cover beech, hornbeam for wetter ground, and native mixed hedging with hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel for better biodiversity, seasonal interest and a more natural look. Finally, we underline the make-or-break period after planting: keeping the base weed-free, protecting moisture during dry spells, and clipping early to avoid that dreaded gappy bottom.  If you want a hedge that looks good, works hard and stays manageable for decades, hit play, then subscribe, share the podcast with a fellow gardener, and leave a review so more people can find it. What job does your next hedge need to do? This weeks sponsors: Better Plants  See special offer here  https://betterplants.ie/product/seaweed-soil-conditioner-2-x-10kg-buckets-special-offer/ Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  2. Oct 9

    EP354- Brian O Hara Mia Raised Beds : The Aluminium Raised Garden Bed Built For Life

    Timber raised beds rot. Cheap metal ones can rust, bow, and end up in the skip just as you’re getting the hang of growing. So what does a raised bed look like when it’s designed as a product for life? I’m joined by Brian O’Hara from East Cork, who built the Mia Grow Bed, an Irish-made aluminium raised garden bed with a 30-year warranty and a design that goes together in minutes.  We talk about the real reason so many of us start a kitchen garden when kids arrive: you want better food, less waste, and a way to show children where meals actually come from. Brian shares his first season growing kale, herbs, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, strawberries and more, plus the small moments that make it addictive, like a three-year-old checking the bed every day and claiming nearly every strawberry. We also dig into choosing crops that give quick returns, especially when space and time are tight.  Then we get practical and a bit nerdy: aluminium versus timber and galvanised steel, how rigid profiles stop beds bulging, what a wood grain finish really is, and why durability is a sustainability decision. We also cover modular raised beds, extension packs, and why manufacturing in Cork matters for quality and supply chain. If you care about grow your own, sustainable gardening, and smart garden design, you’ll take plenty from this one.  Subscribe for more practical gardening chats, share the episode with a friend who’s planning raised beds, and leave a review to help more growers find the show. What would you plant first in a new raised bed? To Find Out More Visit: https://growmia.ie Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  3. Oct 2

    EP353- What To Sow In October & Other Gardening Jobs! October Seed Sowing Shortlist

    This weeks sponsors:  Seeds Ireland High Quality Seeds: See link below for listener offer.  https://seedsireland.ie/master October gardening is a strange mix of momentum and endings: the weather can still feel warm, growth can still be strong, yet the shortening days quietly shut the door on many sowings. We talk through a clear, realistic October seed sowing guide that focuses on what still delivers value, especially if you want winter salads and a head start on spring. We run through the best autumn and overwintering crops to sow now, including winter spring onions, mustard leaves, mizuna, rocket, hardy spinach, late radish, and useful herbs like coriander, dill, chervil, and parsley. We also cover the winter leaf staples that thrive when light levels drop, plus the option of broad beans later in the month for an early crop next year. Alongside seeds, we dig into planting jobs that matter in October: garlic and winter onion sets, and why splitting your planting between polytunnel and outdoor beds can give you staggered harvests and a more resilient kitchen garden. Beyond sowing, we get practical about seasonal maintenance. We share tips for ripening tomatoes as sweetness fades with lower light, preparing and mulching empty beds, using green manures, and keeping polytunnel soil life alive with sensible watering. With autumn winds on the rise, we also talk polytunnel and greenhouse checks and quick repairs that prevent small tears becoming expensive problems. If you find the episode useful, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share it with a gardening friend, and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. What are you sowing or planting this October? Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  4. Sep 25

    EP352 Dr Niamh Roche Senior Projects Manager Bat Conservation Ireland: Bats In The Garden

    This weeks sponsors: Better Plants  See special offer here  https://betterplants.ie/product/seaweed-soil-conditioner-2-x-10kg-buckets-special-offer/ Bats are flying over our gardens every night, doing a job most of us never see, and too many people still think they are blind, dangerous, or somehow “out to get you”. We sit down with Dr Niamh Roche, Senior Project Manager at Bat Conservation Ireland, to clear up the biggest bat misconceptions and replace them with the real story: bats are mammals built for precision flight, their wings are shaped like hands, and their echolocation is so advanced they can navigate and hunt tiny insects in near darkness. We get into what Irish bats actually do for gardeners, growers, and biodiversity. From pipistrelles roosting in buildings to brown long-eared bats that can hover and pick insects off leaves, different species fill different niches. Neve explains why bats matter as a form of natural pest control, how exclusion studies in orchards and crops show significant increases in insect damage when bats are kept out, and why bat activity is often a sign of good environmental quality. We also talk practical “gardening for bats” that you can start straight away: mowing less often, leaving patches of longer grass, accepting nettles and other native plants, and creating small messy corners that boost insect biomass. On the conservation side, Neve breaks down how Bat Conservation Ireland monitors bat populations with volunteers using bat detectors, car-based routes, waterway surveys, and roost counts, plus the resources you can use to learn more, including training and education materials. Subscribe, share this with a gardening friend, and leave a review so more people find the facts about bats and start making space for wildlife. For more information on Bat Conservation Ireland click the link below: https://www.batconservationireland.org Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  5. Sep 18

    EP351- How To Build An Autumn Garden That Adds Interest For Years! Build A Layered Autumn Garden

    This weeks sponsors: Better Plants  See special offer here  https://betterplants.ie/product/seaweed-soil-conditioner-2-x-10kg-buckets-special-offer/ Autumn colour can be breathtaking, but it can also disappear in a flash. One week your garden is glowing red and gold, the next it feels flat and bare because the weather shifts and the best leaf colour drops fast. We want a better plan than hoping a single tree carries the whole season, so we take a practical look at how to build an autumn garden that holds its nerve from September right through to Christmas.  We walk through a layered approach that works in large gardens, small gardens, and even in pots. We start with late flowering perennials that still look “alive” when everything else is winding down, then move into reliable foliage performers like amelanchier, cotinus, acers, liquidambar and the ever-impressive red oak. From there we add the colour that keeps going after flowers fade: berries on viburnum opulus, sorbus, hawthorn, aronia and crab apples, all with a real biodiversity bonus for birds.  Then we lean into the plants that truly shine when the first frost hits. Ornamental grasses such as miscanthus and Stipa gigantea bring structure and sparkle on bright mornings, while bark and stems take over for winter with white birch trunks, peeling paperbark maple, and dogwoods in red or yellow. We finish with simple autumn bedding and container ideas plus a quick garden audit you can do today to spot what your space is missing. Subscribe, share with a gardening friend, and leave a review if the layered approach helps you plan your best autumn yet. If you want to join in the perennial grow along join here: https://master-my-garden-perennial-grow-along.subscribepage.io/ Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  6. Sep 16

    - EP350 Perennial Grow Along September 2026. What You Will Need To Grow Your Own Perennial Border.

    Join The Perennial Grow Along here  https://master-my-garden-perennial-grow-along.subscribepage.io/ A full perennial border can look like something only open gardens and big budgets can pull off, until you do the maths and realise you can grow the bulk of it yourself. We’re outlining the 2026 perennial grow along plan and showing how a few packets of seed, a handful of trays, and a bit of organisation can turn into a serious number of plants for next summer’s planting. We talk through the whole timeline from autumn sowing to pricking out in October, keeping seedlings healthy through winter, and then topping up with spring sowing (including options like dahlias from seed). Along the way we share the essentials: choosing a colour scheme, picking perennial seeds that actually suit your border design, using any container with proper drainage as a seed tray, and labelling so you do not lose track of varieties and dates when things start to germinate at different speeds. You’ll also hear the honest bit: not every seed tray will be a winner. Some perennials are brilliantly straightforward, while others are finicky or sporadic. We cover what to expect from tricky germinators like echinacea, why lavender often needs cold stratification, and how a cold polytunnel or greenhouse can help you grow on without babying everything. If you want a high-colour, pollinator-friendly perennial border that you can genuinely say you grew yourself, join the grow along, then subscribe, share this with a gardening mate, and leave us a review so more people can find it. Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  7. Sep 11

    - EP349- Spring-Flowering Bulbs For Maximum Colour With Minimum Effort

    The fastest way to make next spring feel brighter starts right now with a bag of bulbs and a spade. We walk through spring flowering bulbs from the ground up: what to buy in September, where they shine in borders, pots, lawns and under trees, and how to get a display that comes back year after year with almost no fuss.  We cover the classics and the standouts: tulips for bold April colour themes (plus the types that actually return), daffodils and miniature narcissus for a long flowering run from winter into spring, and early heroes like crocus and snowdrops for that first lift when the garden still looks grey. We also talk pollinator-friendly choices, including native bluebells, and a few underused favourites like snakeshead fritillaria, anemones and muscari for naturalising and texture. If you want one crowd-pleaser, we explain why alliums are so hard to beat for impact and bees.  You’ll leave with practical, confidence-building rules: avoid waterlogged soil, build free drainage in containers, plant bulbs at roughly three times their depth, and always set the pointy end upwards. We also share two container strategies for small spaces: staging pots for a tidy, swap-in display, and lasagne planting for layered flowering over weeks. Plus, we preview our upcoming perennial grow along and how to sign up. Subscribe, share this with a gardening friend, and leave a review if you want more simple wins like this. Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

  8. Sep 4

    EP348 What To Sow In September & Other Gardening Jobs: September Seed Sowing Essentials

    This weeks sponsors:  Seeds Ireland High Quality Seeds: See link below for listener offer.  https://seedsireland.ie/master September is the month where a small, well-timed sowing list can make your whole winter feel easier. We’re looking at what to sow right now for steady, dependable harvests, especially if summer heat, holidays, or a brief pause in sowing has left gaps in your beds or polytunnel. If you want salad leaves on the plate when growth outside slows to a crawl, this is the reset button. We walk through a clear, practical seed sowing guide for September, focusing on crops that earn their keep: loose-leaf lettuce for repeat picking, chard as a reliable staple, and kale sown now for spring harvests. We also cover winter salad favourites like winter purslane, mizuna, mustard and spinach, plus herbs such as coriander and chervil. For anyone who likes to experiment under cover, we talk about late sowings of beetroot and carrots in the polytunnel, what to expect, and why it can still be worth a try if you are short on supplies. There’s a bigger lesson running underneath the list: the garden may feel warm, but the light is slipping away fast. We dig into the sharp drop in daylight hours through September, why sunlight intensity matters for seedlings, and a simple action that makes a real difference: cleaning greenhouse glass or polytunnel covers so every bit of light reaches your trays. We also touch on flowers you can still sow now, from perennials to sweet peas and biennials, and the wider idea of autumn planning for a more resilient garden. A quick thanks as well to Seeds Ireland for sponsoring, with seed, spring-flowering bulbs, and autumn onion and garlic sets worth having on your radar. If this guide helps, please subscribe, share the episode with a gardening friend, and leave a review. What are you sowing first this September? Support the show If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email:  info@mastermygarden.com    Check out Master My Garden on the following channels    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/  Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/     Until next week   Happy gardening   John

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Master My Garden podcast with John Jones. The gardening podcast that helps you master your own garden. With new episodes weekly packed full of gardening tips, how to garden guides, interviews with gardening experts on many gardening topics and just about anything that will help you in your garden whether you are a new or a seasoned gardener. I hope you enjoy.John

Information

  • Creator
    John Jones
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    355
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Master My Garden Podcast
  • Show Website
    Master My Garden Podcast

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