Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

This episode we're discussing apples and I have TWO guests; Naomi Slade who is the author of An Orchard Odyssey and Sassie Yassamee who runs Eve Apple Press, a mobile apple pressing service in East Sussex. We're just harvesting the last of our apples here in Sussex, so with the tastes and sights of varieties fresh in your mind, what better time to start planning your own orchard? Naomi's book, An Orchard Odyssey runs through the practicalities of growing apples, but the focus of our chat is the ways in which we use our apples and our trees as both ornamental and edible additions to our own gardens, particularly from a design perspective. We also chat about how to reconsider how we view orchards and how we can use them within our communities. Which leads nicely on to my interview with Sassie Yassamee, who runs Eve Apple Press in Hastings in East Sussex. Sassie run a mobile apple pressing service, which helps people conveniently and productively deal with their crops and provides an ingenious solution to gluts and food waste. What I cover with Naomi: The definition of an orchard Historical orchards Our changing relationship with orchards The tale of Johnny Appleseed Fruit trees for wildlife Designing & underplanting orchards What I cover with Sassie: About mobile apple pressing Which varieties you can use Preserving the juice Links: Naomi Slade www.naomislade.com An Orchard Odyssey - Naomi Slade, Green Books, 2016 Naomi on Twitter @NaomiSlade Naomi on Instagram @naomisladegardening Eve Apple Press www.eveapplepress.co.uk Eve Apple Press on Facebook Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This episode, I'm talking about one of the fundamental cornerstones that underpins everything we do as growers - soil. And to talk about this vital element, who better than soil scientist and international expert on the subject, Tim O'Hare? Tim is the principal consultant of Tim O'Hare Associates and works on a wide variety of domestic and commercial projects, both in the UK and abroad. Tim answers questions about issues that most gardeners have faced at some point; soil compaction, poor drainage, working with the soil you have and what to look out for if you're bringing new soil in to your garden. As well as possessing phenomenal knowledge on the subject, Tim explains things in clear and simple language and you will enjoy this episode whatever your level of gardening expertise. About Tim O'Hare Tim is the principal consultant of Tim O'Hare Associates, a leading independent soil science practice that provides soil investigation, testing and consultancy services to the landscape industry. He has been a Soil Scientist for over 20 years, working on anything from domestic garden projects to major construction developments. Tim and his team have worked on a wide variety of assignments throughout the UK and internationally, including the London Olympic Park and Commonwealth Park in Gibraltar. They also test and approve many of the topsoil and subsoil products that are sold into the landscape market nationwide. Earlier this year Tim was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The Kew Guild (Association of Alumni of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew) for his "outstanding contribution to the environment". We discuss: Common problems with soil management Storing and moving soil during building works Soil compaction Wet soils Ways to combat poorly draining soils Bringing life into new or damaged soils The impacts of transporting soil into and away from a site What to look for when you're buying soil Soil contamination Tim's more challenging/unusual work Soil erosion and the shape of our future food production Links: Tim O'Hare Associates - Soil & Landscape Consultancy www.timohare-associates.com London Olympic Park www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week, I'm speaking to Jo Ferguson and we're talking about bats. As with most of our wildlife, population trends show a decline in bats in the UK in recent times. Loss of habitat, human activities including nighttime lighting and construction and lack of food are all contributing factors. If you're listening to the Roots and All podcast, in all probability you're a conscientious gardener who wants to improve the natural landscape, not just for humans but for all species. In this episode, Jo talks about what bats need in order to thrive and how we can make small changes that will make big contributions to our bat populations. About Joanna Ferguson BSc MCIEEM: Jo has worked for the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) for the last 4.5 years as the Built Environment Officer before becoming the Built Environment Manager in early 2019. Prior to starting at BCT she had been involved with bat conservation in a voluntary and professional capacity for over 16 years. Jo's more recent professional experience is as an ecological consultant specialising in urban bat ecology; providing surveys, mitigation and enhancement advice covering a range of development projects, including residential, commercial and transport. She also has extensive experience in scientific research, working for the Australian Research centre for Urban Ecology and Earthwatch in Melbourne. Jo is a Full Member of CIEEM, a Volunteer Bat Roost Visitor and London Bat Group Member. We discuss: Where bats live How many species of bat are there in Britain and some of the most common ones we're likely to see in our gardens The biggest challenges facing bats at the moment How we can help our bat populations Will they get caught in our hair or give us rabies? Links: Bat Conservation Trust www.bats.org.uk https://www.bats.org.uk/ National Bat Helpline 0345 1300 228 Leaflet on helping create a great environment for bats, including which plants to include in our gardens https://cdn.bats.org.uk/pdf/Resources/Stars_of_the_Night.pdf?mtime=20181101151554 Bat 1K Genome project mapping bats DNA: 'Imagine uncovering the secret of longer health-spans, flight, echolocation and disease resistance hidden in the bat genome.' https://bat1k.ucd.ie/ Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Facebook @rootsandalluk Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week, Sarah is talking with Geoff Dann. Geoff is a Hastings based forager with a vast and by the sounds of it, pretty unique understanding of the mushrooms that grow in our landscape. He's also the author of Edible Mushrooms. Geoff is a pioneer because many of the mushrooms in his book were not classified as edible and he's taken on the role of a well-informed and cautious taster, but nonetheless has been a human guinea pig in many instances! As he mentions, his book is without parallel in terms of classifying the edibility of our mushrooms and is the bible for foragers. They discuss: Why we're a nation of mycophobes here in the UK How to get started with mushroom foraging Mushroom habitats Beginner levels edible mushrooms Mushrooms to watch out for Links Geoff's website www.geoffdann.co.uk Edible Mushrooms by Geoff Dann, published by Green Books, 2016 Natural Bushcraft Forum www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week, I'm talking garden birds with Kate Risely, Garden BirdWatch Organiser at the British Trust for Ornithology. Kate talks us through the trends that have occurred in our garden bird populations over the past 40 years, what and when to feed them, diseases that are on the rise and how you can attract more birds in your garden. Plus, Kate answers my question; are magpies vandals, living off the fat of our songbirds? About Kate: Kate leads the BTO's Garden Ecology team and co-ordinates the programme of garden ecology surveys and research, within the Communications department. Kate has overall responsibility for running for Garden BirdWatch, a 'citizen science' project where volunteers record birds and other taxa using their gardens on a weekly, year-round basis, as well as additional garden-based surveys. Kate is interested in the research and conservation applications of our garden wildlife data. We discuss: The BTO Garden BirdWatch & how you can take part Why the data collected through the Garden BirdWatch is so important Trends around garden birds over the last 40 years When and what to feed your garden birds Diseases in garden birds How to attract more birds to your garden Links: British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU Tel: 01842 750050 Garden BirdWatch www.bto.org/gbw Garden Wildlife Health: https://www.gardenwildlifehealth.org/ Feeding affecting bird communities: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/composition-british-bird-communities-associated-long Blackcaps: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/supplementary-feeding-gardens-driver-evolutionary Disease risks of bird feeding: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/health-hazards-wild-birds-and-risk-factors-associated Greenfinch declines due to disease: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/emergence-and-spread-finch-trichomonosis-british-isles Predator effects on bird populations: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/population-change-avian-predators-and-grey-squirrels Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Facebook @rootsandalluk Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week, Sarah is talking Peonies with Alec White of Primrose Hall Peonies. If you attended this year's Chelsea Flower Show, you probably saw the amazing, gold-winning stand Alec put together in the floral marquee - it was the one with the bath, peonies spilling everywhere and the semi-nude model painted all over with peonies. It certainly caused a stir and rightly so, because it was stunning. Sarah was delighted to chat to Alec because, frankly, she has a chequered past with peonies. Under discussion are problems such as peony wilt and peonies that don't flower. Alec also talks about the different types of peonies and debunks myths such as peonies can't be moved. Sarah asks expert-grower Alec how to get the best out of your peonies and if you're planning to add some to your garden or want to troubleshoot any problems you have, this is an episode not to be missed. They discuss: The 3 main types of peony Peony wilt Moving, dividing, deadheading and feeding The reasons your peony may not be flowering Pruning tree peonies Growing peonies in containers Growing peonies from seed Links Primrose Hall Peonies www.primrosehallpeonies.co.uk On Twitter @primrosehalluk On Instagram @primrosehalluk On Facebook Primrose Hall Nursery Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

Just how free are we to walk around our cities and countryside? Who owns our parks and public spaces and who makes the decision what you can and can't do in them and when they can be closed for ticketed events? What can you do to make sure our green spaces stay open and accessible to all? These are all questions I asked Neil Sinden, the Director of the London branch of the CPRE (Campaign for Rural England). I'd seen mention of the Urban Right to Roam, which piqued my interest and made me wonder about how much freedom we do have to roam across our cities and indeed our countryside. I had always assumed we had inalienable rights across public land but it seems it's not as clear cut as I thought. As Neil mentions in the interview, 2.6million people in the UK live more than a 10 minute walk from a green space. That's hugely important as our country becomes more urbanised and it's important if, for you, your local green space is your only garden. We talk about: The CPRE and why it's needed, even in towns and large cities like London The Urban Right to Roam Rights of Way Privately owned public spaces Protecting and improving our green spaces Links www.cprelondon.org.uk www.lfgn.org.uk Go Parks London How to register an unrecorded Historic Right of Way Blog post by Groundsure about the implications for our Historic Rights of Way of a 2026 deadline to register them by. Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Facebook @rootsandalluk Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

A New Garden Ethic with Benjamin Vogt Sarah talks to garden designer and author Benjamin Vogt about his book A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. Benjamin writes in his book how it's imperative that we take up a new style of gardening, a new garden ethic, and that we do so fast. Benjamin explains what it means for him to garden with every species in mind and what happens when we separate ourselves from the rest of our garden's community. Benjamin Vogt runs Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden design practice. His own garden was named a top outdoor space of 2012 by Apartment Therapy and has been featured in Fine Gardening, Garden Design, Nebraska Life, the Omaha World Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star, and on KOLN (Lincoln's CBS affiliate). Benjamin wrote an award-winning garden column for Houzz for five years and has contributed to books such as Lawn Gone! and Pollinator Friendly Gardening. His book A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future was published in 2017 by New Society Publishers. We talk about: What is A New Garden Ethic Why it's important that we feel part of the entire community that's specific to where we live The effects of a disconnect from nature Benjamin's definition of native plants Benjamin's design work and plant palette Objections to using native plants Links Benjamin Vogt - Monarch Gardens www.monarchgard.com Benjamin on Twitter @BRVogt A New Garden Ethic:Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future by Benjamin Vogt (2017) Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

Dr Glenn H Shepard is an ethnobotanist, medical anthropologist and film maker whose work focuses on the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. He speaks eleven languages and has done fieldwork with diverse native groups in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East researching shamanism, medicinal plants, and traditional environmental knowledge. His work features in the documentary Spirits of the Rainforest. We talk about: - Glenn's work with the indigenous people of the Amazon forest - Biopiracy - Medicinal/Psychoactive plants, in particular ayahuasca - How psychoactive plants may be used in the West vs the countries they originate from - The ecological and legal consequences of exporting psychoactive plants - The fires in the Amazon forest Links Dr Glenn H Shepard Jr Blog - Notes from the Ethnoground Glenn on Twitter @tweettropiques Spirits of the Rainforest Documentary The Ethnobotanical Assembly www.tea-assembly.com Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

In this episode, I'm speaking to Jan Billington of Maddocks Farm Organics, a flower farm in Devon growing and selling organic edible flowers. We talk about the easiest and tastiest flowers you can grow, colour trends, some more unusual edible flowers and how you can use edible flowers for your own special event. The episode starts with Jan telling us about her farm and why she feels her business needs to give something back. What We Discuss: Where to source edible flowers and what to look out for Using them in a variety of ways Flowers you can grow yourself Flowers for insects Colour trends Unusual flowers Links Maddocks Farm Organics - www.maddocksfarmorganics.co.uk The Scented Kitchen: Cooking with Flowers by Frances Bissell Botanical Baking : Contemporary baking and cake decorating with edible flowers and herbs by Juliet Sear Jekka's Herb Cookbook by Jekka McVicar Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall