The Organic Gardening Podcast
Inspiration to help you garden the organic way, with advice, tips and interviews from the UK's leading organic gardening organisation, Garden Organic. Hosted by Fiona Taylor and Chris Collins.
Episodes
July 8, 2025 • 64 mins
In this month’s Organic Gardening Podcast, Fiona welcomes back seed guardian and writer Adam Alexander. Adam has travelled the world gathering heritage and land race vegetable seeds and in his latest book, tells the story of our “accidental seed heroes.” The backyard growers that are doing something extraordinary, championing old varieties, and also creating new generations of fruit and vegetables.
Also in this episo...
Also in this episo...
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June 3, 2025 • 61 mins
In this month's Organic Gardening Podcast, Fiona visits Huw Richards, in his experimental permaculture garden in Mid-West Wales. Huw gives us an insight in to the the principles of permaculture through his 7 acre garden, as we explore his linear food forest, syntropic planting, and how permaculture fits in with the organic principles.
Also in this episode...
Fiona and Chris are catching up on their planting...
Also in this episode...
Fiona and Chris are catching up on their planting...
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May 7, 2025 • 61 mins
This month, Fiona visits trained ecologist and author Becky Searle. Becky has been showing the world how to garden organically via her Instagram account (@sowmuchmore) since 2018. This year, Becky embarked on a new journey with the release of her first book “Grow a new Garden.” Fiona and Becky spoke about what ignited her passion for gardening, the role ecology plays in her garden and the importance of seed saving.
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This month, Fiona visits author and garden writer Kate Bradbury, at her garden in Brighton. Kate shared her passion for wildlife-friendly gardening and the power of small actions to create meaningful change. Fiona and Kate discussed how connecting with nature, whether by planting pollinator-friendly flowers, creating habitats, or simply observing the life in our gardens, can combat eco-anxiety and create a community.
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March 18, 2025 • 40 mins
If you enjoyed our previous podcast with Åsa Gregars-Warg from Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens, this extended version is well worth a listen. Join Fiona and head gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg as we take a deeper dive into Beth Chatto's pioneering approach to gardening in harmony with nature. From plant choices and soil care to adapting to climate change, this full-length conversation is packed with extra insights and inspiration ...
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March 4, 2025 • 63 mins
This month, Fiona speaks with Tristram Stuart, award-winning author and campaigner, about the positive trends in reducing food waste and his unique approach to sustainable farming. Hear how his cattle are "enhancing the wilderness," and discover his perspective on the global food system. Tristram also inspires us to connect with nature, whether through small garden projects or community initiatives.
Also in this epis...
Also in this epis...
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February 1, 2025 • 52 mins
In this month's episode, Fiona and Anton spoke with Eddie Bailey. Eddie has spent years studying the soil during his career as a geologist and now shares what he's learnt with gardeners and growers through his company, Rhizophyllia.
"In my garden, the effect I had when I stopped digging was instantaneous, the following season, germination rates just dramatically improved and got better and better within three years. ...
"In my garden, the effect I had when I stopped digging was instantaneous, the following season, germination rates just dramatically improved and got better and better within three years. ...
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Join us as we recap an interesting year in organic gardening. From persistent rainfall and slug battles to delightfully late harvests, we've faced it all with a dose of humour and a lot of resilience. In this month's episode, we're looking back on your most intriguing questions from 2024, exploring everything from suspicious strawberry piles to the secrets of healthy soil. You may even hear questions you haven't heard before! ...
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December 5, 2024 • 59 mins
This month, Fiona visited River Cottage, to chat with Author, Chef and Fermentation Expert Rachel DeThample. Rachel breaks down how eating organically grown vegetables can have a positive impact on the gut microbiome, and dives in to how fermenting the produce from your garden can lead to better nutrition and a stronger connection to nature.
“We’re a no dig garden, all organic” says Rachel, “so we’re constantly feedi...
“We’re a no dig garden, all organic” says Rachel, “so we’re constantly feedi...
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November 1, 2024 • 56 mins
This month, Fiona meets Åsa Gregers-Warg, head gardener at Beth Chatto Plants and Gardens. They tour the gardens, and reflect on Beth Chatto’s legacy, discussing how we can adapt our gardens to promote resilience and withstand changing environmental conditions.
“We haven't used any herbicides or pesticides for the last few years. And we all have to be water wise these days as well. It started off with the gravel garde...
“We haven't used any herbicides or pesticides for the last few years. And we all have to be water wise these days as well. It started off with the gravel garde...
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October 1, 2024 • 58 mins
It's safe to say the weather has been incredibly unusual this year. A wet cold spring was followed by a slug-filled summer. And here in the Midlands, we’ve already experienced our first frosts!
Sally Morgan, author of the Resilient Garden Handbook, has been tackling these challenges head on. She speaks with Fiona about what makes a resilient garden, and how we can overcome unusual growing conditions.
“We’re...
Sally Morgan, author of the Resilient Garden Handbook, has been tackling these challenges head on. She speaks with Fiona about what makes a resilient garden, and how we can overcome unusual growing conditions.
“We’re...
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September 1, 2024 • 63 mins
As the nights draw in, Chris sits down with Nick Dunn, professor of urban design at Lancaster University. Nick is also the founding director of the Dark Design Lab, exploring the impacts of nocturnal activity on nature. Nick enlightens us about the role darkness plays in our gardens and artificial light's impact on the wider environment.
“What light pollution basically does is it alters the way plants and animals beh...
“What light pollution basically does is it alters the way plants and animals beh...
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August 1, 2024 • 56 mins
Fiona chats with Nick Mole, Policy Officer from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK who shares why pesticides should be banned from use in our urban spaces, and how communities can be affected by pesticide use.
“Knowing that there are alternatives to pesticides that do work, pesticide use in our towns and cities is completely unnecessary. France has banned the use of all non-agricultural pesticides. They have leg...
“Knowing that there are alternatives to pesticides that do work, pesticide use in our towns and cities is completely unnecessary. France has banned the use of all non-agricultural pesticides. They have leg...
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July 1, 2024 • 65 mins
What do bed sheets, hessian and bacteria have in common? They might help us reduce the amount of plastic we use in our veg plots!
Award-winning author, gardener, peat- and plastic-free advocate Sally Nex shares fascinating advice for reducing, reusing and recycling the 500 million pots, seed trays, and other bits of plastic we get through in our gardens every year in the UK.
“When we chip a pot and it goes d...
Award-winning author, gardener, peat- and plastic-free advocate Sally Nex shares fascinating advice for reducing, reusing and recycling the 500 million pots, seed trays, and other bits of plastic we get through in our gardens every year in the UK.
“When we chip a pot and it goes d...
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June 3, 2024 • 62 mins
We’ve got a double bill this month to help you save more water in your garden over the summer.
We’re joined by Jo Osborn from the charity Waterwise – who tells us that in England alone, we face a potential water deficit of close to 5,000 million litres of water every day by 2050. She shares how crucial it’s we conserve more of it in our homes and gardens.
And climate change gardening guru Sally ...
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May 1, 2024 • 60 mins
In this month’s Organic Gardening Podcast, Chris Collins chats to Nick Hamilton – son of organic gardening pioneer Geoff Hamilton – and finds out more about his gardening journey and life at his beloved Barnsdale Gardens.
We’ve always had a close relationship with the gardens and Nick, a former Garden Organic trustee, and shared many planting schemes and plant cuttings over the years. Our ‘Paradise Garden’ (now...
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April 1, 2024 • 62 mins
Chris Collins chats to Josiah Meldrum, co-founder and owner of Hodemedods, about growing beans and pulses in the UK climate.
Josiah explains how Hodemedods works with British farmers to supply pulses, such as lentils and chickpeas, in as sustainable way as possible and often using organic methods.
He shares some varieties that can grow well in our gardens and how they grow more unusual crops suc...
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March 5, 2024 • 55 mins
To celebrate Food Waste Action Week (18-24 March), Chris Collins and David Garrett join Fiona to bust the myths around composting. If you want to know how, why and what to compost this is a must-listen.
David, our head of knowledge transfer at Garden Organic, shares the reasons he loves compost, and talks through the different composting systems at our organic demonstration garden, and how to use them.
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February 2, 2024 • 57 mins
Our CEO Fiona Taylor visits Slimbridge to chat to Simon Rose from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) about ways to create similar habitats in your growing space.
With 75 per cent of wetlands in the UK lost in the last 300 years, Fiona explores the importance of urban bluescapes and bogs as a homes for wildlife.
“Wetlands are really rich in wildlife – in fact 40 per cent of the world's speci...
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January 1, 2024 • 48 mins
Join Fiona Taylor as she chats to Adam Alexander, aka the Seed Detective. Adam is a volunteer Seed Guardian for Garden Organic's Heritage Seed Library, and self-confessed seed nut! Adam shares stories of his travels around the world, and why seed saving and sharing is so important.
For information on the Heritage Seed Library and how to get involved, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/what-we-do/hsl
For information o...
For information on the Heritage Seed Library and how to get involved, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/what-we-do/hsl
For information o...
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