Gardeners' Question Time Hertfordshire
12 snips
Mar 6, 2026 Matthew Biggs, plantsman celebrating native bluebells. Juliet Sargeant, plantswoman and landscape designer pushing no-dig and soil-health. Bunny Guinness, landscape designer focused on large-scale planting and volunteer management. Bob Flowerdew, organic grower with allotment know-how. They tackle meadows and coarse grasses, greenhouse tomato woes, Mahonia rejuvenation, rhubarb rehoming, low-labour allotments and ways to recruit volunteers.
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Divide Your Plot Into Small Beds
- Break a large plot into small fixed beds and tackle one or two beds each day to avoid burnout.
- Bob Flowerdew uses 40 beds (5ft × 15ft) and completes two beds daily so the whole plot is manageable in three weeks.
Sow Radishes Thinly And Keep Them Moist
- Sow radishes thinly, keep them warm and moist under a cloche, and harvest quickly to avoid woody hot roots.
- Bob Flowerdew emphasises moisture, warmth and speed; avoid overcrowded drills that produce spindly roots.
Match Tomato Variety To Greenhouse Conditions
- Check light, greenhouse microclimate and variety choice before blaming greenhouse itself for poor tomatoes.
- Bunny Guinness notes cucumbers prefer humid diffuse light while tomatoes want brighter, drier conditions and some varieties are bred for outdoors.