1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:04,480 Welcome to Gardening with Ben, the podcast where we dig into the soil of 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:09,080 our gardens and the depths of our green funds. I'm your host, Ben, 3 00:00:09,359 --> 00:00:12,839 here to guide you through the joints of gardening, from sowing seeds to 4 00:00:12,919 --> 00:00:18,399 reaping bountiful harvests. Each episode will explore tips, tricks and tails from the 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:25,399 garden and allotment, sharing insights from ourself and stories from our own back garden 6 00:00:25,559 --> 00:00:29,839 adventures. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just getting your hands dirty for the 7 00:00:29,879 --> 00:00:34,520 first time, there's something here for everyone, So grab your brew and gardening 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:41,039 gloves and let's get growing with Gardening with Ben. Hey everyone, and welcome 9 00:00:41,079 --> 00:00:46,520 back to a new Gardening with Ben podcast. I hope you're well. We've 10 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,479 got a brand new episode for here today. It's been a week since our 11 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,479 last episode, or a bit longer. And yeah, what have we been 12 00:00:55,679 --> 00:00:59,719 up to down at the plot while we've been up to not much. Basically, 13 00:01:00,399 --> 00:01:03,920 it's been a busy week at work this week, so I've not been 14 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,319 down to the allotment much. And it was absolutely freezing this morning. I 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,480 was rating whether to go to the allotment or not, or whether to stay 16 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,439 at home. When it where I was warm, so I thought, I 17 00:01:15,439 --> 00:01:19,239 need to pick up a parcel for my parents' house what I'd ordered, and 18 00:01:19,359 --> 00:01:22,599 I thought, I'm going to pop down to take some photos for people to 19 00:01:22,599 --> 00:01:26,519 see on Instagram and stuff like that. So I popped down and I thought 20 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:29,920 it's not as bad as I thought. So I ended up staying down there 21 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,920 for a couple of hours. Bearing in mind i'd not took my flask with 22 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,120 me, so i'd not got my hot drink, which was a pain because 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,400 I do a love my hot drinks while i'm down there to keep me going. 24 00:01:40,359 --> 00:01:45,040 But yeah, we have been busy down there this morning, not too 25 00:01:45,079 --> 00:01:49,799 busy, but we have got plenty done. What I have done recently is 26 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:55,359 I've done up the sides of my plot around the borders. I've refenced them 27 00:01:55,359 --> 00:01:59,640 all, I've put some edging in to stop the soil from falling down onto 28 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,359 my neighbot because my plot is higher than the neighbor's plot. And I've filled 29 00:02:02,359 --> 00:02:07,359 them all back up with fresh, brand new compost so they are worthy to 30 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:12,479 be planted in and obviously ready to plant stuff ready for the summer in there. 31 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,599 So I went to the being Qurre the other week and I bought some 32 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:21,520 gladiol eyebulbs, as I do love gladiolies. They don't last forever, but 33 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,240 they do add some nice color to the plot and they are brilliant for the 34 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:30,400 bees because the bees go in the little trumpets in the gladiolies. So we 35 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:36,159 have planted them. I bought four packets of them, thinking that they do 36 00:02:36,319 --> 00:02:38,759 both sides of my plots, but nope, four packets has done one side 37 00:02:38,759 --> 00:02:43,000 of the plot. I could have spaced about a lot more, but I've 38 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,520 really lined them up and clumped them up together so that we do get a 39 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:50,039 big spectacle of color down the side of my plot. So yeah, I 40 00:02:50,039 --> 00:02:53,319 need to buy another four bags for the other side. So we need to 41 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,080 look into get in some of those this week before they all sell out, 42 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,159 because they do sell out fast summer bulbs and everything. So we do need 43 00:03:00,199 --> 00:03:04,840 to go back and get another four bags, which is an expensive job. 44 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,840 But once they're planted, they'll come back year after year and hopefully it spread 45 00:03:08,879 --> 00:03:14,240 and Germany from the corns will send out more little bulbs and stuff like that, 46 00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:17,039 so hopefully we get more and more growing. And there is already some 47 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:22,080 down the side of my plot. So hopefully it'll add more and more color 48 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,599 to the sides. So we've got all them planted. I did post a 49 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,599 couple of photos on my Instagram, so if you're not following me on there, 50 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:30,280 do give me a follout on the Instagram and you'll be able to see 51 00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:36,280 me plant in my gladiol like corns today. So next up is obviously to 52 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,919 get the bulbs, not the bulbs to carse. I always call them gladioli 53 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:43,800 bulbs. They're not bulbs, they call corns. So we need to get 54 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:46,120 some down the other side. But what else have I got to do? 55 00:03:46,199 --> 00:03:51,080 Well? I bought a load of wildflower seed as well, because I thought, 56 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,599 what do I plant down the side of my plot. I can have 57 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,759 a plant beding plants and stuff like that, or I can have it as 58 00:03:55,759 --> 00:04:00,800 a wildflower area. So I saw in the tesk near me some packs of 59 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:06,080 wildflower seed and they're like poppies and corn flowers and stuff like that. So 60 00:04:06,159 --> 00:04:11,639 I'm going to sprinkle all them down the sides and get them all growing really 61 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,560 well, and hopefully we'll have a lot of color come somewhere down the sides 62 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,480 of the plot. And again it will hopefully attract the bees and everything like 63 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:24,560 that. So obviously I said that I'd had a package delivered, and yeah, 64 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,079 I'm getting addicted to buying these little things off the TikTok shop recently, 65 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:35,240 and obviously I can promote them as well. But I have purchased some of 66 00:04:35,439 --> 00:04:40,360 those hangars what you put on the side of the shed with the little pouches 67 00:04:40,399 --> 00:04:43,399 in so that you can grow flowers or strawberries and stuff like that, and 68 00:04:43,959 --> 00:04:48,000 so I bought some of those. So I'm thinking this year because I've got 69 00:04:48,199 --> 00:04:53,480 enough runners for my strawberries to plant in my allotment, but I've not got 70 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,480 enough runners to fill these up. So this year I think I'm going to 71 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,279 have flowers in them and possibly have the strawberries in them next year if I 72 00:05:00,319 --> 00:05:03,160 get some more runners off them to have them on the side of my shed. 73 00:05:03,439 --> 00:05:06,600 But this year we're going to have flowers, I think in them. 74 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,759 So I need tips and advice on best hanging flowers for down the side of 75 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,279 my plot. Obviously they'll dry out faster because they're in bags, so off 76 00:05:15,319 --> 00:05:18,959 to keep them well watered and everything like that. But yeah, I want 77 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:25,639 it to look as spectacle. Obviously, I know opportunias hang down and labilia. 78 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,319 But yeah, if you've got any tips and advice on flowers to plant 79 00:05:29,319 --> 00:05:33,240 in these down the side of my shed, let me know, because I 80 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:38,519 want to fill it with lots and lots of color. So we've got them. 81 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,360 We've also bought a little label printer. Now I've not seen these before 82 00:05:42,439 --> 00:05:46,120 until I saw them online, and basically they're no ink, but it like 83 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:53,800 marks it onto the label the writing or the pictures and stuff like that. 84 00:05:54,079 --> 00:05:57,199 So I bought a little label printer so that I can print all my labels 85 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,160 for when I'm growing all my seats and stuff like that. So we're going 86 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,519 to have a nice label print. It'll save me writing out stuff hundreds of 87 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:08,519 times because you can print how many copies you want off and stuff like that, 88 00:06:08,959 --> 00:06:12,639 and then case of just snipping them and sticking them to the plant label. 89 00:06:13,199 --> 00:06:15,759 So yeah, we've got that to do this year. So that's going 90 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,279 to be exciting. So I'll be showing you all that coming up when we 91 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,600 start planting all the seeds, which fingers crossed should be soon, but it's 92 00:06:23,639 --> 00:06:27,240 turning that cold at the moment. There's no point trying to germinate seeds at 93 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,720 the moment, so we're waiting for it to warm up before we start sewing 94 00:06:30,759 --> 00:06:33,759 all these seats in my shed and my greenhouse. But I'm excited to start 95 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,399 growing the more. We need to go out and buy all the seeds for 96 00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:40,000 this year. That is one job I need to do. I need to 97 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:44,199 go to the range because they sell all the woolcose seeds and have a look 98 00:06:44,399 --> 00:06:46,639 there and see what I'm going to be growing this year. Obviously I'll be 99 00:06:46,639 --> 00:06:53,079 growing all the normal stuff like cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet corn, 100 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,879 peas, runner beans and stuff like that. But yeah, we'll have a 101 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:01,120 look and see what we'll be growing this year down at the allotment. So 102 00:07:01,399 --> 00:07:04,279 yeah, what else have we got to do. We've got sweet peas as 103 00:07:04,319 --> 00:07:09,839 well down at the allotments plan I bought them from my Tesco. There were 104 00:07:09,839 --> 00:07:14,319 three pots for six pound I believe it were on the club card points and 105 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,839 basically they've got about ten plants in each one. So we need to get 106 00:07:18,839 --> 00:07:24,160 those planted down at the allotment because I absolutely love sweet peas, and obviously 107 00:07:24,199 --> 00:07:27,439 with sweet peas, the more you pick them, the more they'll flower, 108 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,959 and they smell absolutely gorgeous, so you can just keep picking on them and 109 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,800 putting them in your flat, and when they've died off, they should be 110 00:07:32,839 --> 00:07:39,319 some more ready to plant down to put in a vase and pick on a 111 00:07:39,399 --> 00:07:43,600 regular basis to keep it smelling nice in your flat or in your house. 112 00:07:44,079 --> 00:07:46,680 So, yeah, we've got all the sweet peas to plant, and yeah, 113 00:07:46,839 --> 00:07:51,079 I need to go out and purchase some wood paint because we need to 114 00:07:51,079 --> 00:07:55,399 start painting all those beds now. It is getting a bit drier at the 115 00:07:55,399 --> 00:07:58,959 moment. We're not getting as much rain, thankfully, so the wood is 116 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,920 dried out, so hopefull like I can start painting it all and start sprucing 117 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,120 it all up, and then we'll be digging over all those beds and getting 118 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:09,560 that ready because the plot is literally nearly finished now, it is already for 119 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,720 growing in. I've spent so much time and effort down at the allotment this 120 00:08:13,839 --> 00:08:20,160 year over the winter. I always stress how busy you should be down at 121 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,800 the allotment over the winter. You shouldn't packing. I used to do that. 122 00:08:22,839 --> 00:08:26,360 I used to stop doing anything in September and then i'd start again in 123 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,319 March February, and I'd been rushing around at the last minute, but starting 124 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,559 September is the time to start getting all your plot and everything ready for the 125 00:08:35,639 --> 00:08:39,399 year after. And that's what I must stress. How much time you must 126 00:08:39,399 --> 00:08:41,840 put in over the winter. Yes it might be cold, yes it might 127 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:45,639 be icy and stuff like that, but there's plenty you can be doing. 128 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,200 You can be tidying out all your shed or your rubbish from the year. 129 00:08:48,399 --> 00:08:54,240 I'm getting it all ship shape and looking spectacular for the year ahead. So 130 00:08:54,279 --> 00:09:01,200 we've got another couple of days off work. Obviously tomorrow is Mother's Day, 131 00:09:01,519 --> 00:09:05,399 and obviously I'll be spending some time with my mum's but hopefully we'll be down 132 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:09,759 at the allotment tomorrow and we'll progress with getting some more things done and getting 133 00:09:09,759 --> 00:09:15,759 it all ready and continue the massive work that we are going to be putting 134 00:09:15,799 --> 00:09:20,279 in for this year, as I do want to show off what can be 135 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,840 done on an allotment if you're put in the time and the effort, and 136 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,919 how well it can look. And it's going to spend a lot of time 137 00:09:28,039 --> 00:09:31,679 getting it ready and getting it looking good. Fingers crossed, we do have 138 00:09:31,759 --> 00:09:35,440 a good looking a lotment for you, and it does all go to disaster, 139 00:09:35,919 --> 00:09:39,639 but stay tuned and make sure you are following my Instagram so that you 140 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:46,240 can see my progression throughout the year. And yeah, thank you for tuning 141 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,960 into today's podcast. If you don't follow it, do give it a follow, 142 00:09:48,919 --> 00:09:54,159 do leave a comment, and remember, keep smiling, keep shining, 143 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:58,879 and keep guardening with Ben. Everyone, And that wraps up another episode of 144 00:10:00,159 --> 00:10:05,440 Gardening with Ben. Thank you for joining me in this journey. Remember, 145 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,399 every seed planted is a step towards a greener world, and every day is 146 00:10:09,399 --> 00:10:15,879 a chance to grow something beautiful. Keep nurturing your gardens and your souls. 147 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,120 Until next time, I'm Gardening with Ben reminding you to let your garden be 148 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:26,679 your sanctuary. Happy gardening, and see you in the next episode. Remember, 149 00:10:26,279 --> 00:10:31,519 keep smiling, keep shining, and keep Gardening with Ben.