S5 Ep3: March - Do we really have a problem with food waste? with Tristram Stuart

In this month's podcast, Fiona and Chris chat about how you can get the most out of autumn. Discover how to save, store and share seeds, look after your compost heap, care for trees after a dry summer and tackle persistent weeds. They also touch on how gardeners can adapt to hotter summers, extend the growing season and choose crops that thrive in changing conditions. Also in this episode... We answer your questions on: the difference between box blight and box moth, how you can tackle whitefly in the greenhouse and which green manures are suitable for sowing late in the season.

In this month’s interview episode, Fiona meets Lesley Greene, one of the founders of the Bisley Community Composting Scheme. The scheme is of the UK’s longest-running community composting initiatives. Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, Bisley Community Composting have been transforming local organic waste into valuable compost for the community in Gloucestershire for more than two decades. Fiona chats to Lesley about the scheme’s history, the joys and challenges of community composting, and how the scheme works. She also takes a tour of the site, which produces compost for around 160 local households every year.

This month, Fiona catches up with Chris to reflect on a challenging summer of extreme heat and drought, and what it could mean for the way we garden in the future. They discuss which crops have coped best, how gardeners can adapt what they grow and ways to conserve water and protect soil health. They also explore seed saving, companion planting and using shade to help gardens cope with hotter conditions. Also on this episode...

In this month’s interview, Fiona is joined by agroecology writer Nancy Matsumoto to discuss her book, Reaping What She Sows. The book celebrates women changemakers from around the world who are helping to rebuild our broken food system. From maverick farmers, millers and bakers reviving local grain economies, to brewers, distillers and winemakers regenerating land and ecosystems, as well as Indigenous and diasporic seed savers, these inspiring women are creating shorter, more direct and transparent alternative food supply chains. Fiona and Nancy explore the people and ideas helping to shape a more resilient, sustainable and equitable food future.

It’s been an incredibly dry summer this year and gardeners country-wide have been dealing with extreme heat and drought conditions. In this month's episode, Chris and Fiona will be chatting about how their gardens & allotment are fairing in the unusually dry weather. They'll also be discussing how to mitigate common problems that have been caused by the prolonged heat. Later on, Anton joins the podcast to answer your questions on flea beetle, tomatoes not ripening and how to get rid of weeds on your paving.