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Dig It
Informal and lively discussions on gardening.
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29. Apple Day, Giant Vegetables and new products
36:19||Season 6, Ep. 29In this episode we suggest a couple of places to visit, some RHS partner gardens are open. Prebooking may be required so check with the gardens first. There is the Guided Swiss Garden Tour near Biggleswade and the Arley Arboretum and Gardens in Arley.Hozelock have launched a new range of tools with handles that can be changed to be longer or shorter to suit your preference and task at hand, the range cover hand tools and larger digging tools with a new spade which is meant to be an improvement on the traditional design. They have also have redesigned the hose connector and have hopefully fixed the more common issues, so it now has a lock on it, the hose grip has been reversed so it should be better at stopping the hose blowing off and the likely hood of leaks has been reduced. With these improvements Hozelock have once again innovated and improved a classic part so hopefully we will waste less water from dripping hoses and have less issues with them blowing off.It’s giant vegetable time, at the Malvern show on Friday the 25th to Sunday the 27th September. Gladys the Atlantic Giant pumpkin which weighs about 540kg is hopefully going to make it there from where it grew in Essex.A new Apple has been discovered in Luton. It is a cross between the James Grieve and a Newton Wonder. It’s Apple Day the weekend of 26th , 27th September at the Garden Centre, with fantastic displays of Apples, Support from Mid Shires Orchards and Jerry Edwards. If you have an apple that you don’t know what variety it is bring it for Jerry and he will hopefully identify it for you. We also chat about No Dig, and whether we can leave vegetable roots in the ground to rot down and whether double digging is now a thing of the past. Bill recommends pruning and tidying up your roses to stop wind rock from the winter winds. If you are going to plant any bare rooted plants this winter it’s time to get out and prepare the ground. Get the ground loosened up by digging the area, add some well-rotted manure or compost to the ground, clear any weeds or unwanted plants from the area, and then cover with landscape fabric to stop any new plant growth before you plant.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music
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28. Heritage Seeds, Compost and Bokashi with Chris Collins
50:04||Season 6, Ep. 28In this episode Peter chats with Chris Collins from Garden Organic. Chris is currently the Head of Horticulture at Garden Organic and he tells us a little about what is going on in their 50th anniversary year. We learn why heritage seeds do so well in the United Kingdom and why organic gardening and working with nature can help you get a better yield from your crops.Chris tells us more about composting and bokashi. Composting is not just about heaping up your grass cutting in a pile, you need to work within certain parameters to make great compost. Using a Bokashi for your kitchen waste can generate a fertilizer tea and then compostable material, it is a Japanese technique that will allow you to reduce your food waste contributions to the council waste streams. We also learn a little about soil health, smells, and what certain plants growing in an area can point towards.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for the music27. Edibles
28:13||Season 6, Ep. 27Have you ever drunk the sap of a Tilia cordata or eaten a wild Garlic flower? In this episode learn about some unusual berries and plants and flowers you can eat. There are flowers to try which can make great colourful additions to the salad bowl or maybe pop in an ice cube. This episode it full of edibles that we have come across from historical resources and websites like the RHS edible flowers page. The plants and flowers mentioned may not be suitable for everyone so do your own research and check with a professional before eating.Thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for the music26. Autumn planting bulbs have hit the shop floor
38:53||Season 6, Ep. 26BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair 11-13 September is at English Heritage’s Audley End House and Garden, Saffron Waldon, EssexHarrogate Autumn Flower Show Newby Hall and Gardens, 18th -20th SeptemberRHS Malvern Autumn Garden Show a celebration of gardening and food. 25th – 27th SeptemberBuckingham Gaden Centre’s Apple day on the 26th and 27th of September with Mid shires Orchards and Apple identification with Chairman of the RHS’s Fruit Group Jerry Edwards.Kew Gardens has a waterlily with leaves so big they can support the weight of a fully grown man.A notifiable issue with Sweet Chestnuts, they are getting movement controls imposed in the South as the disease spreads, so if you notice any weeping areas on their bark then it may be worth contacting Defra.Bulbs are now in stock in Garden Centres so If you are thinking of planting Snowdrops, Crocus, Daffodils, Bluebells or any of the other spring and early summer flowering bulbs it’s time to get into the Garden Centre and stock up.In this episode we also give you some tips on planting bulbs and how to prepare them in pots so if you want to bring them in when flowering they won’t go into shock and how to do a lasagna planting. Bill also shares how to get successive flowering and what to do with them so you can get them to flower for a few years to come.We also learn a little of the commercial flower markets in Holland, how the flower industry works and the interesting way Dutch auctions work.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music25. Rain, Myths, Truths and Fibs
34:41||Season 6, Ep. 25In this episode Bill and Peter talk about the small amount of rain we have had!We then move on and discuss some gardening tales and myths. From ideas about companion planting which some think put off pests to slugs not being deterred by egg shells or copper strips. What is true and what is an AI myth or what just doesn’t work? Send us your comments and thoughts to podcast@hedging.co.uk Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music.24. RHS Sandringham and Summer Pruning
37:18||Season 6, Ep. 24With the summer holiday season well underway the village of South Stoke, Oxfordshire is opening some of its Garden to the public on Bank Holiday Monday the 31st August, Admission is £6 for Adults. The Bell tower of the church will be open and there will be plant sales, tea and cakes in the village hall, Alpacas and funds raised will go to a community project.Hughenden, Benjamin Disrali’s country manor, near High Wycombe is a National Trust Property that neither Peter or Bill have visited. Nestled in a valley in the Chilterns, there are a variety of landscapes to explore. The building also played a highly secret part in World War 2 which has only come to light in recent years.With the drought Lawns have stopped growing but don’t worry hopefully they will come back once we start getting some rain. Once moisture levels have returned to normal if you do have bare patches you can reseed them. It is also a good time of year to trim back lavender if it has finished flowering, but only trim back this years growth. Roses can also be trimmed back. Dead head your bedding plants and trim back Jasmine. Some hedges can be trimmed back if there are no birds nesting in it. Photinias and Laurel are good examples of hedges that might be suitable to trim. Regular annual or biannual trimming is better than leaving it to grow and then cutting it back hard after a couple of years as you will get a fuller and denser hedge. Depending on the type of hedge and how much time you have you could use a hedge cutter or secateurs, but always clean them and sharpen if needed after use so they are sterile and ready to use again when you need them.23. Drought
30:32||Season 6, Ep. 23In this Episode, Bill and Peter Chat about the weather and the lack of rainfall. Some veggies have done well but others not so well. Hose pipe bans are expanding over more areas so check your local area and water supplier. The most important thing with the lack of rain is trying to replace the moisture in the ground so keep up your supplemental watering with watering cans. Bill has got round to digging up his first row of potatoes, Peter’s also need harvesting as all the foliage on his had died back as he has been away for a couple of weeks and nothing on his allotment has been watered for a couple of weeks. We also discuss the benefits of successive planting as it gives you a more regular supply of vegetables over the summer.We still have time to plant more lettuce, beetroot and carrots which should be ready to crop fairly soon if the weather forecast is correct as we have lots more warm days in the forecast. Pauline Brown one of the Garden Centre’s Partners was interviewed for ITV news about the affects of the lack of rainfall this year and the impact to our industry, gardeners and our reservoirs.If you are looking for some plants that are drought tolerant Good Housekeeping published a great article with some great suggestions for drought tolerant plants. We love Thyme as it is great as a herb for cooking and also a lovely low growing creeping plant, Lavenders are also a good suggestion as they do well in dry areas, Sedums, Pelargoniums, trailing Begonias and another couple of plants that if you like cats or don’t like cats have a listen to our suggestions!