Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

To book-end the winter break, I'm sort of picking up where we left off by talking about a way to mark the passing of the year and the seasons and to ground yourself and your gardening endeavours in the natural patterns that govern them. My guest is Lia Leendertz, author of the annual The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide and she starts by talking about the origins of her almanac. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Winter in the veg garden What We Talk About The history of Lia's Almanac How Lia intends for people to use the Almanac throughout the year The importance connecting with traditions, celebrations and rituals The monthly list of gardening jobs Gardening by the phases of the moon Underlying themes of the Almanac; the pond and the zodiac A discussion of Lia's line about the month of August, "Your ancestors would be proud to see how far you have come, sipping a glass of cold wine and laughing in the sun." About Lia Leendertz Lia is an award-winning garden and food writer based in Bristol. Her reinvention of the traditional rural almanac has become an annual must-have for readers eager to connect with the seasons, appreciate the outdoors and discover ways to mark and celebrate each month. Links The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz - Octopus Publishing Group, September 2022 Lia's Website Lia on Instagram Lia on Twitter Other episodes if you liked this one: The Wheel of the Year with Dr Rebecca Beattie Garden Roots with Lulah Ellender Patreon Membership

This week's guest is Martyn Richards who is the Home & Garden Manager for Agriton UK, part of a large European group of companies who manufacture products to help commercial and domestic users deal with the 'soil, crop, animal waste cycle'. Martyn contacted me to see if I would be interested in speaking to him about their bokashi composting system and I thought, yes, I would, because I didn't really understand the process. So my first question to Martyn was, just what is bokashi? Listen now and all will be revealed… What We Talk About What is bokashi compost? How bokashi systems are different to traditional composting methods What can you compost? Is there anything you can't? Do you need to add anything for the process to work? What are Bokashi organisms? Where do they originate from? Is it expensive to set up? Does it work at any scale? Does what you put in affect what comes out in terms of nutrient value? What is Bokashi bran? Links Agriton's Bokashi Brochure www.agriton.co.uk Other episodes if you liked this one: The Composting Process Feeding Your Soil with Humanure Patreon Membership

This week, my guest is David O'Carroll. David runs an 11 acre agroforestry learning centre in Totnes, Devon where he teaches natural farming methods, based on the techniques around Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) and Korean Natural Farming (KNF). He focuses on building healthy soil to produce healthy plants and is both generous with his time and knowledge as he aims to share the details of his techniques to help other growers. What We Talk About What is Korean Natural Farming? What is IMO? How do you make it? Why do you need it? What is LAB? How does it help plants? Is KNF as useful for ornamental plants as it is for edibles? Do you need a lot of space to make the KNF preparations? Preparations for home gardeners to try Links www.ballaghbotanicals.co.uk www.zerosoap.info Other episodes if you liked this one: Mycorrhizal Fungi with Jeff Lowenfels Garden Amendments with Nigel Palmer Patreon Membership

This week, my guest is renowned horticulturist Andrew Bunting. Andrew is the Vice President of Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he leads the utilization of planting and design to promote environmentally sound gardening practices across the organization. Andrew's extensive experience informs the work of PHS' Public Gardens and Landscapes team which maintains a network of public gardens and landscapes across the Pennsylvania region, contributes to creating vital greenspace and encourages all to see the impact of horticulture in their own lives and I must say, it sounds a really wonderful organisation. Andrew's expertise extends to many subjects but given his experience of gardening large landscapes in an area where deer are prevalent, and given that at this time of the year in the UK, our gardens are becoming tasty prospects when the wider landscape is offering slim pickings, I thought it would be very useful to get Andrew's take on managing deer. What We Talk About The species of deer Andrew deals with in the US Can you exclude deer from a garden? How can you do this? Deer deterrents Plants that can cope with predation Is it just eating plants that's the problem? Do deer trample on plants too? The times of the year are they most active Deer welfare About Andrew Bunting Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Horticulture at PHS, leads the utilization of planting and design to promote environmentally sound gardening practices across the organization. As a renowned horticultural expert, Andrew's extensive experience informs the work of PHS' Public Gardens and Landscapes team which maintains a network of public gardens and landscapes across the Philadelphia region, contributes to creating vital greenspace and encourages all to see the impact of horticulture in their own lives. Links Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Other episodes if you liked this one: Foxes in Your Garden with Terry Woods Cats and Gardens Patreon Membership

This week's guest is permaculture designer and author of 'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden', Pippa Chapman. Growing our own food is becoming more and more important, and Pippa has tips on creating a year-round food forest that is low-maintenance and good for wildlife, that can work in a variety of aspects and that is an enjoyable and beautiful space for people too. What We Talk About What is a forest garden? Can forest gardens can be a bit limited in their plant palettes? Does a forest garden have to be a decent size in order to work? Food forest design techniques such as keyhole beds and lasagne beds The random assembly design technique Pippa's essential perennial food plants Good examples of forest gardens About Pippa Chapman RHS-trained and garden designer, Pippa Chapman, is the author of 'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden', where she shares how she turned her grassy and paved back garden into an abundant, biodiverse, edible and beautiful forest garden that provides for her family and the local wildlife. Pippa also includes flowers into her garden design, so the garden is both beautiful and productive, and gives advice on using perennials for structure and food, as well as info on guilds, polycultures and growing in containers. Pippa's real-life examples and years of experience will help anyone create their own multilayered, edible paradise that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Growing our own food is only going to become more important, and a food forest of any size can offer: year-round food that is low-maintenance; wildlife habitat; beautiful gardens for people to enjoy; carbon sequestration; shady microclimates; and more. Links 'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden' by Pippa Chapman - Permanent Publications www.thoseplantpeople.com Other episodes if you liked this one: Introduction to Forest Gardening with Jake Rayson Food Forest in Your Garden Patreon Membership

This week, my guest is Julian Ives, founder of Dragonfli Limited, a company specialising in taking biological controls which have been more commonly used in professional growing environments and bringing them to home gardeners. We talk about why these controls might be suitable for helping you manage your own garden, how and when you can apply them and why they might provide a useful long-term solution for those looking to avoid chemical deterrents. About Julian Ives Julian Ives is a Director of Dragonfli Ltd, a company he founded in 2010 with the aim of bringing biological pest control to the gardener. Julian spent his early career advising professional growers on how to use biological pest control whilst working for Koppert Biological Systems, and now advises a number of leading botanical gardens in how to manage insects using biological controls. Links Gardener's Guide to Biological Pest Control: Using natural predators in the garden by Julian Ives - The Crowood Press Ltd, August 2022 Other episodes if you liked this one: Probiotics for your Garden Patreon Membership

Hello and welcome to this week's episode where I'm speaking with Marianne and Camilla, joint founders of Wolves Lane Flower Company. Marianne and Camilla are on a mission to inspire everyone to have a go at growing flowers and are part of a new wave of "farmer florists" putting the environment first. Their new book 'How to Grow the Flowers' charts a year at Wolves Lane Flower Company and in easy to understand and digest fashion, shows you what to do and when to do it in order to create your own flower farm at any scale. About Wolves Lane Flower Company Camila Romain and Marianne Mogendorff are the founders of Wolves Lane Flower Company, a micro flower farm in north London. The duo is on a mission to inspire everyone to have a go at growing flowers and were earmarked as one of British Vogue's "most talented female gardeners" in 2020. They are part of a new wave of "farmer florists" putting the environment first. Flowers are something we are irresistibly drawn to and turn to at the milestone moments of our lives, at births, marriages and deaths, to connect with an estranged friend, to send love or say we're sorry. They colour our most formative experiences and are our gateway to finding our own personal relationship with the planet we inhabit. No matter the size of your garden, 'How to Grow the Flowers' is a practical, but approachable guide that will instill the confidence in you to grow flowers to bring into your home and enjoy all year round. Links 'How to Grow the Flowers' by Camila Romain and Marianne Mogendorff - HarperCollins, Sep 2022 Other episodes if you liked this one: Growing Cut Flowers with Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers Alstroemerias with Ben Cross Patreon Membership