Growing Up Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we chat with a friend of the show James Wong about whether or not it's possible to genuinely grow food to save money.   It's proven to be a surprisingly controversial subject, to talk honestly about the idea of growing food to save money and so we were fascinated to hear what James Wong had to say on this subject. Really hope that you enjoy this chat as...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dig deep into gardening jobs for January.  Andy is joined by Dan, Head Gardener of Winterbourne House and Gardens as we chat on a rainy day about practical jobs that you can do NOW in January to get your garden off to the best possible start to the year. Each month in 2024 we aim to release a podcast offering practical advice, tips that you can implement at tha...

Send us Fan Mail Kate is BACK for this Pre-Christmas episode of the Growing Up Podcast. We talk about our gardening highlights of 2023, amazing highs and a few light hearted lows.  It was so lovely to sit together and consider the growing season that is ending shortly. We find that December is a month for gardeners to sit, reflect and plan ahead and this is exactly what we do in this episode.  We...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, we talk to Katy and David who run the fabulous Root 13 house plant shop here in Birmingham.   Like ourselves they took a less-than-traditional route into horticulture, embracing a love of growing houseplants during the pandemic and now sharing the joy of growing these amazing plants with their customer and on social media. You will hear the emotion and...

Send us Fan Mail Growing food to save money?  Is it possible?   Can you truly be self-sufficient, growing food in a front garden?   This week we take a deep breath and dive deeply into the subject of growing food to save money.  We didn't think that this would be particularly controversial but it turns out that our messaging around this subject on social media has caused a very, very strong r...

Send us Fan Mail We all sometimes feel that we are the head gardener of our corner of planet earth but today we talk to Daniel Cartwright, who is genuinely the Head Gardener at Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham.  We chat honestly about the challenges and opportunities in designing, curating and maintaining a heritage site.  We talk honestly about the importance of bringing a new generat...

Send us Fan Mail Something a little bit different, this week Kate was unable to join us on the Growing Up Podcast so I was joined by Thersa (Mum!).  What we actually recorded was 45 minutes of giggles, and chat about the nature of seasons and why gardening for well-being is really serious and vitally important.⁠ This week we talk very honestly about the link between the gardening seasons and the e...

Send us Fan Mail Why has it taken us so long to record an episode about the beautiful herb plants that have defined the last decade of our lives?  Grab yourselves a drink, sit back, and join us as we chat about our favourite herb plants. Herbs are beautiful plants that you can plant in your allotment, garden or grow indoors, but the truth is that these plants have the power to really transform you...

Send us Fan Mail We are joined on the Growing Up Podcast by James Wong, Ethnobotanist, presenter, and author of the amazing series 'Grow Your Own Drugs'. He is also a current panelist on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Gardeners' Question Time.   We chat to James about his story but fundamentally why plants matter, the provable benefits that they bring, and whether growing potatoes if st...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's podcast, we travel back in time to 1940s Britain and explore the Dig for Victory Campaign.  We talk about the realities of growing food during wartime and explore the impact that this had both economically, practically but also emotionally. This week we introduce special guests Potaoe Pete and Doctor Carrot.  Listen to the podcast to become acquainted with thes...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, we talk to Lance from Tomato Revolution .  You will love hearing Lance's incredible passion for growing tomatoes, it's truly incredible.  Join us as we go down a very geeky horticultural rabbit hole and learn about unusual heirloom varieties of tomato, the process of developing new varieties of tomato, and the link between tomatoes and Star W...

Send us Fan Mail This week Andy and Kate talk in depth about the autumn gardening season.  We discuss why the autumn garden is so special but also vitally important as we look ahead to the seasons that follow. We talk about seeds to sow, gardening jobs to complete, the dangers of autumnal DIY and why having snacks are vital as you record an autumn gardening podcast. Did you enjoy our podcast?  We...

Send us Fan Mail Andy started the company that became Urban Herbs back in 2009 purely as an experiment - a short term project to pay off his tuition fees. Little did he know that he was going down a horticultural rabbit hole that would shape the next decade of his life. He feel in love with the unusual foodie sensory and culinary herb plants that he promotes and sells today and published the Herb...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's episode, we introduce one of our hosts.  This is Kate's story. Kate doesn't come from a traditional horticultural background.  She brings with her a decade of major events experience having worked at various community arts projects and as an event manager at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Kate's married to Andy and they run Urban Herbs together. ...

Send us Fan Mail The start of the journey as we grow together.  Meet your hosts of the Growing Up Podcast. For those who love to grow, who are happiest in the garden, allotment or greenhouse.  Hosted by Andy and Kate, a green-fingered couple who love growing,  and are on a mission to share the joy of all things plant-related.   The Growing Up Podcast is proudly sponsored by the amazing First Tunne...