I can cope with working in the cold. Working in the rain is another matter. With plenty of showers this week, I’ve found myself moving more of my gardening under cover — and growing food indoors has become the thread running through this episode.There are young plants filling the shed, cold frames back in position in front of the greenhouse and clear benches at the allotment where the tomato plants used to be. Inside the house, the kitchen windowsill and growing shelves are part of the picture too.It might be the middle of October, but I’m not putting the garden away. I’m making room for what comes next. Making room in the kitchen garden My daily visits to the shed have included sowing peas, broad beans and more onions, as well as pricking out seedlings. I’ll admit that pricking out is a job I find tedious. Seeing those little plants getting bigger afterwards is the part I enjoy.Space is becoming the problem, which is where the cold frames come in. Having cleaned them a few weeks ago, this weekend I lifted them out of the way, removed some of the slabs beneath them and laid sand followed by gravel.The frames are now back in front of the greenhouse, with a few young plants inside. I prefer the look of the gravel, and I’m hoping it will help water drain through rather than collect on the surface. I’ll be keeping an eye on that, along with checking the plants’ watering needs now they’re under cover.Inside the home greenhouse, the tomatoes and cucumbers have come out, while the chillies and aubergines are still going strong. I’ve also moved a strawberry plant outside as part of my usual rotation: first year in the greenhouse, second year outside at home and third year at the allotment. A young runner takes the greenhouse place, ready for the earlier crop I’m aiming for. Clearing Grandad’s greenhouse for winter At the allotment, my attention has been on Grandad’s greenhouse. I have two greenhouse structures there, but only one is glazed; sorting out the other remains a job for another time.The tomato plants had gone brown and were looking past their best. I harvested the remaining tomatoes before chopping the plants down, with the unripe fruit coming home to ripen. The foliage is destined for composting, although my compost bins are already very full.With the plants out, I cleared the benches, tidied up and gave everything a wash. Looking into that space now, I can think about the winter crops that will come in rather than the summer plants that need to come out. The planting is still ahead of me; this week was about getting ready.I’ve also cleared weeds from the rhubarb and asparagus beds, added compost and topped it with straw. My aim is to look after those beds through winter and support their return to growth in spring. It’s another job done outside while more of my day-to-day growing shifts under cover. Growing food indoors, from windowsill to kitchen shelves Even with the growing space I have outdoors, I still find room for food plants in the house. Herbs on the kitchen windowsill are the simplest example. Microgreens and sprouting seeds are part of my indoor growing too — small additions rather than something I expect to feed the family.Then there’s my four-tier shelf, fitted with grow lights and heated propagators. It takes up space, but it gives me somewhere to start seeds and keep young plants going during the darker part of the year. That includes making an early start with crops such as chillies and aubergines.Alongside the shelves is my small hydroponic system, with its overhead lights. I find growing plants in water fascinating. I previously kept a tomato plant growing in that system for over a year, and it produced tomatoes.Now there’s an aubergine in it. It was slow to get going but is growing well, and I’m hoping for aubergines during winter. That is still a hope, not a harvest I can report yet. The nutrients are one part of the set-up I don’t want to skimp on.

Autumn is full of useful materials that gardeners can turn into next year’s fertility. In episode 679 of The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard makes the most of fallen leaves, prepares to store wood ash safely and shares practical ways to keep growing costs under control. Turn Fallen Leaves into Leaf Mould At the allotment, the leaf mould bins are beginning to fill. A simple frame made from four posts and chicken wire is enough to hold leaves while allowing the airflow that supports slow fungal decomposition. Leaves gathered with permission from gardens and recreation grounds can become a dark, crumbly soil improver over one or two years. Woodland leaves are best left in place, where they shelter wildlife and feed the woodland ecosystem. Although the heap shrinks considerably, the finished leaf mould is valuable. Used as a mulch, it adds organic matter, protects the soil surface and helps the ground retain moisture. It is also a welcome alternative when bought-in compost is expensive. Store Wood Ash Safely Clean ash from untreated wood can be useful in the garden when used sparingly. It contains potassium and may benefit suitable flowering and fruiting crops. Do not use ash from coal, painted or treated timber, or manufactured fire logs. Because ash can hide hot embers, transfer it to a lidded metal container on a non-combustible surface and leave it until completely cold. Keep stored ash dry, and avoid applying it around acid-loving plants. Save Compost with Plug Trays Pricking out seedlings is a regular job in the kitchen garden. Starting seeds in plug trays can reduce the amount of compost used while giving each seedling its own root space. It also lets the grower provide reliable germination conditions before young plants move outside. Plant Spring Flowers for Pollinators Daffodils and tulips are not edible crops, but early flowers can help pollinators. New bulbs create a strong display in pots, while previous years’ bulbs can be moved into grass, where they may naturalise and multiply. Six More Ways to Cut Growing Costs Save fully mature seed from healthy, open-pollinated plants. Reuse clean old net curtains as supported crop covers, taking care not to trap wildlife. Compost garden and suitable kitchen waste. Clean, sharpen and oil tools to extend their working life. Collect rainwater where permitted and mulch to reduce water loss. Check existing supplies and swap surplus seed or plants before buying more. This Week’s Harvest and Sowings At the allotment, the harvest included cabbage, courgettes and marrow. In the kitchen garden, tomatoes, salad leaves and herbs were still producing. Broad beans, peas and dwarf kale for baby leaves were among the week’s sowings. The message from this week’s episode is simple: look closely at what is already available. Fallen leaves, fireplace ash, saved seed and reused materials can all play a part in a productive garden—and each small saving adds up.

October may bring shorter days and cooler temperatures, but there is still plenty to do in the productive garden. In this week’s episode, I’m sowing crops for winter and next spring, preparing allotment beds, making a warming marrow curry and checking in on Alysda and Lisa’s new vegetable garden. Seeds to Sow in October Rather than choosing a single seed of the month, I’m looking at everything I plan to sow. Broad beans and peas can be started for overwintering in a suitable, sheltered position. Onion sets offer a quick route to next year’s crop, while onions from seed provide more choice for growers who can give them an early start. Winter salad leaves and corn salad will keep small harvests coming through the colder months. Chillies will be started under heat and grow lights because they benefit from a long season. I’m also thinking ahead to companion flowers and spring bulbs that will provide colour and food for pollinators. The seeds mentioned in this episode are available from Premier Seeds Direct. Preparing the Allotment The garlic has sprouted well, a marrow has been harvested and the tomatoes are beginning to show blight. The main allotment task, however, has been uncovering and preparing the beds for overwintering broad beans and peas. After moving the rhubarb pots and lifting the weed-suppressing membrane, I hoed out the remaining weeds and added compost. I’ll keep hoeing until planting time. Field beans have also gone into another bed as green manure. Their roots can help break up clay soil, and the plants can support soil fertility. I’ll cut them down before flowering, leave the roots in place and return the top growth to the soil. This weeks recipe This weeks recipe is a delicous marrow curry which took Richard by surprise as he normally finds marrow a little boring. But this recipe made the marrow exciting that now he wants to grow more marrows just to cook this recipe A Productive Garden Takes Shape Alysda and Lisa have made good progress clearing trees for their first vegetable garden. The ground is flinty and currently looks like a building site, but the winter plan is clear: level the soil, secure the underground IBC water tank, lay hardcore and choose fruit trees. Establishing the infrastructure now will make the productive parts of the garden much easier to manage later. Listen to the full episode for the complete allotment update, the recorded conversation with Alysda and Lisa, and more thoughts on what to sow this month.

The end of September can look like the garden is winding down, but this week it felt more like a fresh beginning. Moist weather brought a burst of growth to the kitchen garden, the allotment continued to provide generous harvests, and autumn sowings offered the promise of food through winter. Turning a Tangle into Compost The grass, shrubs and an unruly mile-a-minute climber all needed attention. The resulting heap of green material quickly filled the HotBin composter, so the older Dalek-style bins had to earn their keep. Emptying one of them revealed useful, well-rotted compost and an encouraging update on an old elm stump. Since spring, the compost bin has stood directly over the stump. Heat, darkness and moisture have weakened it, while attempted regrowth inside the bin has failed. The stump has not disappeared yet, but it is soft, rotten and breaking away. It is a slow solution, but one that turns garden waste into compost at the same time. Growing Does Not Stop with Summer Corn salad and spinach have been planted out for winter, while spring onions, lettuce and radish are germinating well. This is the “second spring”: a useful window for sowing hardy crops, filling gaps and setting up a longer harvest season. A Maincrop Potato Lesson At the allotment, tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, apples and broccoli were still coming in, but the main event was the potato harvest. Maris Piper produced fewer tubers than hoped, although they were a good size. King Edward started with many small potatoes, then delivered much larger tubers in one noticeably damper area. That contrast is a reminder that mulch helps conserve moisture but cannot create it. Potatoes benefit from steady moisture while their tubers are swelling. In dry seasons, it pays to check beneath the mulch and give the soil a deep soak when needed. The harvest is now curing in the greenhouse before storage in the garage. Damaged potatoes will be used first; sound, dry tubers will be kept somewhere cool, dark and frost-free. A Garden Works as a Cycle This week’s jobs were all connected. Prunings became compost material. Compost improved the beds. Better soil will hold more moisture and support future crops. Meanwhile, autumn sowings keep the kitchen supplied after summer has passed.

In episode 676, the focus is on looking ahead to the next growing season through essential autumn tasks. The small but important jobs of planting garlic, sowing hardy leaves, and preparing protected growing spaces for the shorter days are explored in detail. Allotment Update: Autumn Garlic Planting and Bed Preparation The episode begins on the allotment, where six varieties of garlic, saved from the summer harvest, are planted. The reasons for planting in autumn are explained, including the selection of healthy cloves and the importance of a sunny position with free-draining soil. An update is also shared on the hügelkultur bed, which has been topped up with compost, and the cabbages that are now protected from pigeons. Early-Morning Sowing and Greenhouse Preparation Back in the kitchen garden, the growing day starts early at 6 a.m. Despite the darkness at that hour, enough light is shed to sow tatsoi, mibuna, mizuna, and spring cabbage before work. The value of short, regular gardening sessions and the extra care needed for autumn seedlings as light levels fall are discussed. Seedlings soon require more space, prompting the cleaning of the greenhouse and cold frames while the final tomatoes and chillies continue cropping. Topics include cleaning glass to improve winter light, removing debris that can shelter pests and disease, using cloches safely, and checking brassica netting before pigeons become a bigger problem. Rainwater, Seasonal Baking and the Podding Shed Recent rain has refilled sixteen water butts after a dry summer. Consideration is given to whether additional storage is needed and why autumn is the right time to inspect gutters, diverters, lids, and connections before winter rain arrives in earnest. In the kitchen, a rustic apple and courgette autumn loaf is made — a gently spiced bake designed to use two crops that often overlap at the end of summer. Finally, from the podding shed, the idea is explored that autumn is not the end of the growing year but the beginning of the next one. By dividing seasonal work into four areas — grow, protect, maintain, and store — steady progress can be made without turning autumn into an exhausting list of jobs.

This week Richard takes us out of the kitchen garden and allotment and over to Audley End House in Essex for the Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair — the final show of the year and a perfect chance to gather fresh inspiration as we head into autumn. Victorian Walled Gardens & Orchard Training Richard begins his visit in the Victorian kitchen gardens, admiring productive orchard beds, fan‑trained fruit trees and beautifully maintained glasshouses. Apples, pears, asparagus and late‑season veg are thriving despite the challenging summer, and the structure of the garden reinforces that his own move toward a more formal, kitchen‑garden layout at home is the right direction. Make a Metre Matter: Lucy Chamberlain’s Autumn Garden Richard then meets up with Lucy Chamberlain to explore the final instalment of her Make a Metre Matter project — nine themed square metres designed to show what can be achieved in small spaces. Highlights include: Wildlife habitats for autumn and winter, using windfall apples, moss, bamboo canes and log piles Woodland ecology, with bracket fungi and chestnut stumps supporting stag beetle larvae Heat‑loving edibles like tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and basil to extend the harvest Edible flowers and vertical veg for colour and productivity A feature wormery, proving composting can be attractive as well as practical Heat‑tolerant crops such as curly kale and Malabar spinach Hardy winter salads including chicory, radicchio and mizuna Leaf mould demonstrations showing the stages of decomposition A metre dedicated to winter casserole ingredients — beetroot, carrots, kale, potatoes and swede The garden offers practical, achievable ideas for changing climates and small spaces, and gives Richard plenty of inspiration for his own plot. Recipe of the Week Back in the kitchen, Richard shares a warming aubergine and tomato gratin with a crispy potato topping — a perfect way to use up late‑summer veg before autumn fully settles in. Show Highlights & Heading Home A wander around the stalls reveals end‑of‑season bargains and familiar exhibitors. Richard picks up a few gifts and a robin‑on‑a‑spade ornament before heading home, feeling motivated to make the most of warm soil now and shift into infrastructure work as winter approaches.

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.