Show Notes
This week on the Veg Grower Podcast, Richard tackles caterpillars on the brassicas, gets his leeks planted at last, enjoys a strong run of summer harvests, completes a few kitchen‑garden jobs, shares a simple stir‑fried bean recipe, and looks at the best ways to store soft fruit.
Allotment Update
The allotment kept Richard busy with pests this week. While tending the broccoli, he spotted cabbage white caterpillars chewing through the leaves. Instead of using pesticides, he checked each leaf, picked off the caterpillars by hand, destroyed the eggs and took the caterpillars home for the chickens. Netting helps keep butterflies out, but it also makes day‑to‑day care awkward, so Richard plans to attract more birds to the plot with feeders and bird houses.
The leeks — sown back in January — finally went into the ground after the garlic came out. Each leek dropped into a dibbed hole and received a good soak. Daily watering will help them settle in. Harvests this week included courgettes, tomatoes, blackberries, currants, rhubarb, cabbage and second early potatoes, which performed much better than the first earlies. The soil remains very dry and the allotment badly needs rain.
Kitchen Garden Update
A few small jobs kept the kitchen garden productive. Richard trimmed thyme, rosemary and sage to encourage fresh growth and better flavour. Soft prunings went straight into the kitchen, and healthy stems went into water to root into new plants. He also extended the chicken area with poultry netting, giving the hens more space to forage while keeping them safe from foxes and Roxy the dog.
The hot bin ran smoothly this week. Richard removed finished compost from the bottom and added fresh material to the top. The mix of greens and browns keeps the bin hot and active, producing crumbly compost much faster than a traditional heap.
Recipe of the Week: Stir‑Fried Summer Beans
This week’s recipe is a quick stir‑fried bean dish made with runner beans, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil. The beans cook until bright and tender, then get coated in the fragrant sauce and finished with sesame seeds. It’s simple, fresh and perfect alongside grilled meats, noodles or rice.
From the Potting Shed
Soft fruit spoils quickly, so Richard explored the best ways to store it. Freezing works well when fruit is frozen individually on trays before bagging. Raspberry jam is the easiest preserve to make, and jellies offer a smooth alternative. Bottling gives long‑lasting results without using freezer space. Fruit wines — raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry, rhubarb and elderflower — offer another way to preserve flavour. Dehydrating creates fruit leathers and chewy snacks that store well.
Storing soft fruit properly reduces waste and keeps summer flavours available all year.
More from The Veg Grower Podcast
I can cope with working in the cold. Working in the rain is another matter. With plenty of showers this week, I’ve found myself moving more of my gardening under cover — and growing food indoors has become the thread running through this episode.There are young plants filling the shed, cold frames back in position in front of the greenhouse and clear benches at the allotment where the tomato plants used to be. Inside the house, the kitchen windowsill and growing shelves are part of the picture too.It might be the middle of October, but I’m not putting the garden away. I’m making room for what comes next.
Autumn is full of useful materials that gardeners can turn into next year’s fertility. In episode 679 of The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard makes the most of fallen leaves, prepares to store wood ash safely and shares practical ways to keep growing costs under control.
October may bring shorter days and cooler temperatures, but there is still plenty to do in the productive garden. In this week’s episode, I’m sowing crops for winter and next spring, preparing allotment beds, making a warming marrow curry and checking in on Alysda and Lisa’s new vegetable garden.
The end of September can look like the garden is winding down, but this week it felt more like a fresh beginning. Moist weather brought a burst of growth to the kitchen garden, the allotment continued to provide generous harvests, and autumn sowings offered the promise of food through winter.
In episode 676, the focus is on looking ahead to the next growing season through essential autumn tasks. The small but important jobs of planting garlic, sowing hardy leaves, and preparing protected growing spaces for the shorter days are explored in detail.