Two Good Gardeners

In the first episode of their new series, Dan and Julia chat with Paolo Arrigo of Seeds of Italy, discovering why it's important to preserve old vegetable varieties and exploring their importance to Italian cuisine. Julia enlightens Dan about cultivating garlic greens, and Dan prepares to tiptoe through the tulips in his new Italian gardening clogs.Paolo's 'eternal' tomatoes: https://seedsofitaly.com/tomato-principe-borghese-da-appendere-or-eternal-tomatoes/Spinach 'Monstreux de Viroflay': https://seedsofitaly.com/spinach-monstreux-de-viroflay-16th-century-paris/Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchProduced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

In this bonus episode, Dan and Julia set the scene for Series 5 of Two Good Gardeners. They share what caught their eye at the Garden Press Event in February and what hot topics are coming up later in the spring. Listen to find out whether Dan can speak Cornish and how Julia managed to break her nose.Episode 1 will be released on Friday, March 28th 2025Dan's article:Heritage vegetables - what they are and why you should grow them Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchProduced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

To round off Series 4 of Two Good Gardeners, Dan & Julia test each other's memory with a New Year quiz. The scores may not be high, but there are laughs aplenty! Join in and see if you can guess Dan's Desert Island flower and the length of Julia's prize-winning parsnip!The Two Good Gardeners will return in spring 2025 with a brand new series.Jobs to do in the garden this fortnight:Dan - Sow chilli seeds under cover - a warm environment is essential!Clean, sharpen and oil tools.Sort out your seed tin and order seed catalogues.Keep feeding the birds and refreshing/topping up their water.Plant tulip bulbs if they're still hanging about.Don’t panic if you see spring bulb foliage appear, and be careful not to squash emerging shoots - many things are coming up early this year.Order and continue to plant bare-root trees and shrubs.Prune soft fruit bushes, e.g. currants and gooseberries.Prune apples, pears and figs.Force rhubarb under forces or deep buckets.Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchGold Leaf GlovesProduced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

We've had some rough weather to start the winter, which is miserable enough for us, but spare a thought for the wild creatures in our garden that might have been unable to forage and find food. In this episode, Dan & Julia talk to Clare Carhill, founder of A Little Bird Co., about caring for birds during winter, with some surprising information about the threat caused by cats. Later in the show, they share tips about how you can take care of other animal visitors, too.Jobs to do in the garden this fortnightMake sure brassicas and taller plants are securely supported.Firm back in plants that have rocked in the ground - use the heel of your boot and stake if necessary.Brussel sprouts should be ready to harvest; pick from the bottom upwards.Collect fallen debris and use any attractive foliage to decorate the house for Christmas.Take hardwood cuttings.Prune climbing roses.Remove the lower leaves from hellebores to see the flowers more clearly when they emerge.Do a health check on the greenhouse and house plants. Look for whiteflies and fungus gnats and treat them if necessary.Sow sweet peas through to January.Garlic should be planted on the shortest day, the 21st of December.Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchGold Leaf GlovesLettuce Publishing - use code Xmas 2024 to get a signed copyA Little Bird Co.Produced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

To celebrate the season of plum puddings and cranberry sauce, Dan and Julia devote this episode to all things fruity. They reveal their favourite fruits and share tips on how to grow and use them. Dan describes one of his favourite tools for pruning fruit trees, and Julia delves deeper into the art of cultivating blueberries.Listen to the end to hear Dan & Julia's list of jobs to do in the garden over the next fortnight and to find out where they'll be popping up in the run-up to Christmas.Jobs to do in your garden this fortnight:December is the last call for planting spring-flowering bulbs. It's a little late for everything other than tulips, but it's still worth getting bulbs in the ground or pots now rather than wasting them. Collect redundant bamboo canes and store them safely. Errant plant supports cause hundreds of accidents yearly, and the last thing anyone wants is to spend Christmas in A&E.During cold weather, put out high-energy food and ensure animals can access fresh water. Cleanliness is vital for the health of garden birds, so it's a good time to start cleaning out bird boxes in readiness for the spring.If it's grotty outside, or you haven't got the energy to move beyond the sofa, now's a great time to sort your seedbox, discarding any that are out of date (although they could still be worth trying) and making a note of new varieties you'd like to source. On fine, dry days, gather any remaining seed heads to provide decoration around the home or use them for making wreaths and garlands. Should it snow, shake the excess from trees and shrubs where the weight might cause branches to bend and break. Columnar (pillar-shaped) trees and topiary are particularly vulnerable. If you store tubers, fruit, and vegetables in a shed or garage, check them every fortnight to ensure there's no sign of mould, rot, or shrivelling. They should be firm to the touch with taught skin.If you planted potatoes in anticipation of fresh spuds at Christmas, you should be able to start lifting them now. Main crop potatoes still in the ground can be dug as needed, but don't forget they are there as they'll begin to sprout as soon as the weather warms up in spring.The wind is one of our greatest enemies. Firmly stake new trees and support or 'earth up' tall brassicas such as Brussels sprouts, kale and purple sprouting broccoli. Many of our greatest gardens put on spectacular light displays from now until early in the New Year. These events might not offer a complete escape from the madding crowd, but they highlight the magnificent structure of gardens we're used to seeing fully clothed. Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchGold Leaf GlovesLettuce Publishing - use code Xmas 2024 to get a signed copyBrenton Roberts on InstagramProduced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

In this episode, Dan & Julia change their usual format to focus on Christmas gifting. They chat to Lucy Hutchings, co-founder of She Grows Veg, about her take on the traditional advent calendar and ask what she'd like to find in her stocking on Christmas morning. Later in the show, your hosts receive festive voice memos from some of their horticultural friends and heroes, discovering what's on their wish lists.Our guests in this episode:Lucy Hutchings, Co-Founder She Grows Veg - https://shegrowsveg.com/Thordis Fridriksson, BBC Presenter and Podcaster - https://www.thordis.co.uk/, https://www.getgardeningnow.co.uk/talking-dirtyAlexandra Campbell, The Middle-Sized Garden - https://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/Pat Marsh, Presenter, BBC Radio Kent, Sussex and Surrey - http://www.patmarsh.com/Steve Newland, Gardener and Allotment Holder - https://www.instagram.com/snewland97/Nelly Hall, Creative Director at Alitex! - https://www.instagram.com/nellyatalitex/Steve Edney, Gardener and co-owner of The No Name Nursery - https://www.thenonamenursery.co.uk/Alex Mitchell, aka The Edible Gardener, Writer and Flower Farmer - https://alex-mitchell.co.uk/Jamie Marsh, Allotmenteer, Writer and Podcaster - https://www.instagram.com/jamies_little_allotment/Michael Perry, aka Mr PlantGeek, Presenter and Horticulturalist - https://mrplantgeek.com/Phillipa Lepley - Couture Wedding Dress Designer - https://www.phillipalepley.com/Barbara Segall, Editor, Garden Writer and Horticulturalist - https://thegardenpost.com/about-barbara-segall/Charles Dowding - The God of No-Dig - https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/Jimi Blake - Plant nerd, Gardener and Custodian of Hunting Brook Gardens.https://www.huntingbrookgardens.com/Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchGold Leaf GlovesScilly FlowersMilli | ProustProduced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local