Sunflower Allotment Podcast

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  This week we record a farewell to Tim's plot as he hands-back his oasis (of sorts) in Norwich due to his impending relocation north to Sheffield. The episode includes a reflection on his time on the plot, along with some digging up of the garlic and a visit to Peter's new asparagus plot. Happy listening! 

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  'People think this was a dragons nest or that I'm a witch!' - Rosemary delights us with an allotment ramble around her beautiful natural allotment. Rosemary has created a space with the aim of being at-one with nature, the oppositie to a productive vegetable rich plot; much to the annoyance of the council and some of her neighbours!...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  In this episode, Peter and Tim catch up on a warm and windy April morning to discuss seed swapping and allotment events. Peter also shares his productive allotment plot which has a staggering 300 garlic bulbs planted! We then hear from a recording back in February when Tim popped down to the inaugral Bungay seed swap and chatted to the organiser Ly...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! In this first episode of 2024 we have a special podcast to warm the senses! Recorded before Chrismtas from Peter's visit to New Zealand, this episode includes a beuatiful interview with his sister Vicky and partner Shaun from their bach in the south island of New Zealand.  They roam the off-grid embankment plot disucssing garden design, drainag...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! This week Pete is calling from his travels in New Zealand and we discuss gardening and allotments in NZ, along with our love for Autumn in the UK and jobs for November. Thanks for all your wonderful contributions - they help spark inspiration and debate and we love hearing from allotmenteers. We'd love to hear your answers to the question, &apo...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! We are delighted to welcome author, allotment activist and illustrator David Crouch onto the podcast this week. Daivd co-wrote with Colin Ward the acclaimed allotment book 'The Allotment' which is out this year in a third edition, having first been published in 1988.  The book will captivate any allotment and gardening enthusiast with the...

After a bit of a break...Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  Peter and Tim meet up for a long-overdue recording reflecting on our summer on the plot, our highs and lows and the moments to remember. We revel in our squashes that are close to harvest and look forward to an Autumn, discussing jobs and upcoming harvests. Next week we welcome David Crouch to discuss his book The Allotment...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! This week Rachel and Tim catch up to discuss the importance of community allotment events and explore possible ideas for people looking to host community events on their site.  The episode includes a conversation Tim had with Helen Banks, organiser of the recent NSPCC fundraising event at our Norwich Allotment. Helen discusses the importance of the...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  With the sun setting on our allotment in Norwich, Peter and Rachel meet to discuss the wet summer so far, Rachel's chickens and upcoming jobs for late July and August.  If you would like to get in touch or contribute any episode ideas, then please let us know! Email: Sunflowerallotmentpodcast@gmail.com  Social media: @Sunflowerpod1 Thanks for...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! It's harvest time! Peter and Tim visit each others plots to pick the fruits (and veg) of their labour. Onions, sorrel, courgettes, potatoes, shallots, broad beans and herbs amongst others are picked, discussed and eaten in this early summer harvest.   Any questions, please get in touch: Email: sunflowerallotmentpodcast@gmail.com  Twitter / inst...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  This week Pete interviews our fabulour allotment committe during one of their community plant swap events. During their conversation they disucss the rich history of our Norwich site and explore how preparations are going for the centenary celebrations next year!  Peter and Tim also briefly do their own plant swap, desrcibe the joy of first getting...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! Summer is certainly here and so is the fruit. We therefore decided to discuss what we do we our fruit and our favourite fruit dishes.  The episode also includes an allotment ramble with committee member Jon on his stunning plot that contains a beautiful combination of veg and fruit. Thanks for listening! If you'd like to get in touch, please do...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  With the cold snaps behind us and the sunshine well and truly here, Peter and Tim sit down under Peter's apple tree to discuss one of their favourite root vegetables, Celeriac. We discuss it's rich history, it's fantastic taste and tips of how to grow this tricky vegetable.  With the cold weather all but a distant memory, Peter and T...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  After some torrential rain and warmer weather, Peter and Tim take a walk around the allotment and discuss the explosion of growth of vegetables, fruit and weeds! Tim also discusses his love for raspberries as well explaining some tips for planting and storage.   As we walk around we answer the question, what are our favourite allotment sounds? This...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! In this mini episode we response to a fantastic listener question regarding growing tomatoes in a polytunnel. Peter addresses problems with blight, overheating, underwatering and suggests his favourite varieties of tomato. We also touch on other questions on potatoes and asparagus planting. We love hearing from you so if you have any questions, plea...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  It's April and the bees are out so it is a perfect time to be joined by beekeeper Ken Hayes for this special episode on bees! In this fascinating discussion we explore a range of  topics from bees and the envrionment, pollinators, flowers to attract bees, the advantages and disadvantages of beekeeping, how bees swarm, the difference between wo...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast. 🌻  On today's episode Peter and Tim return to Rachel's plot to record an episode that celebrates the end of Winter and discusses the arrival of Spring and April jobs.  Amongst a host of things we discuss emerging from long winter, what we are planting this month, green manure, no dig, long days on the plot and Tim's brush with the al...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  Inspired by a gardening book that Tim found in a charity shop earlier this year, we are joined by Claire Birkett (from episode 11 on Cost of Living) for a recording of the first of a two-part (second yet to be recorded) on gardening words and jargon! For a new gardener, or even a seasoned pro, the words and terms in gardening can be as long as a pi...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! We are delighted to bring you the second part of our Easter special with organic gardener and No Dig expert, Stephanie Hafferty. As the joint author (along with Charles Dowding) of the award winning book, No Dig Organic Home Garden , Stepahnie has a wealth of experience and enthusism on a topic that has changed the way allotment holders and vegetabl...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  This episode is the first of a two-part Easter special with the amazing Stephanie Hafferty. Stephanie is an organic gardner, award-winning author, blogger and a leading authority in No-Dig gardening.  During this first part we ask Stephanie about her origins of gardening, her movement into gardening as a profession as well as her garden planning, i...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! In response to both a listener question and Tim's neighbour taking on an allotment, Peter and Tim discuss how to tackle the first 7 days on the plot.  Tidying, planning, no dig, planting trees, speaking to fellow allotmenteers are all discussed along with much more.  We would love to hear how you began your first  few days on the plot. Please l...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  We've had some extremely cold weather recently but once the snow cleared, Rachel, Peter and Tim took to the allotment with a spring in their step to discuss the month of March on the allotment.  We start by discussing Peter's inspiration trip to visit Joy Larkcom and her garden in Ireland and then continue to discuss our seeds selections,...

Welcome to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast!  This week Tim and Rachel visit the Norwich Seed Swap, a fantastic event in the local gardening calendar that really kicks off the horticultural year.  Along with swapping seeds, we take a chance to chat to the volunteers, punters and organisations present including Norfolk Organic Group, Garden Organic and speaker Bob Flowerdew!   If you have any questi...

Welcome to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! During this special episode we talk to Jack First, a gardner, horticulturalist and author of Hotbeds: how to grow early crops using an age-old technique. Using hotbeds is becoming increasingly popular due to the ability to lengthen the growing season, as well as their cost-effectiveness, productivity and eco-friendly approach.  We chat with Jack about ho...

Welcome back to the Sunflower Allotment Podcast! In response to a Twitter question, this week Peter talks through with Tim how to grow onions from seed, including the benefits and drawbacks. We also discuss our social media responses to the question, 'what have you found on your plot while gardening?'.  Thank you to all your fantastic replies includng Guy who described how he found an ar...