1 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:06,719 Hello, and welcome to Gardening with Ben. You'll go to a podcast for 2 00:00:06,839 --> 00:00:12,039 all things green and growing. I'm Ben, your allotment guide and here to 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:17,079 help you cultivate your garden and your passion for plants. Whether you're a seasoned 4 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:22,440 gardener or just starting out, this podcast is for you. Each episode will 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,960 dig into tips, tricks, and techniques to make your garden and allotment thrive 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,679 from planting, sewing, and growing. We will share all the tips and 7 00:00:31,719 --> 00:00:37,399 add advice. We will also have regular episodes talking about what we have been 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,159 up to on the allotment. So sit back, grab a brew and enjoy 9 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:51,280 today's episode. Hey everyone, and welcome back to Gardening with Ben for another 10 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:56,000 brand new episode of the week. I hope you're all enjoying these episodes as 11 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:02,280 we're talking about quite a few different topics and subjects this week where I'm not 12 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,239 talking about my allotment for once. Well, i do talk about my allotment 13 00:01:04,719 --> 00:01:10,159 as I'm talking about things that are happening, but it's not telling you what 14 00:01:10,239 --> 00:01:12,840 I've been getting up to at the allotment because obviously I'm working this week. 15 00:01:14,159 --> 00:01:21,000 So I've been talking about different topics of what I've been getting up to and 16 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,760 different questions that people like to ask and stuff. I've been trying it out 17 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,719 on my instagramming on my Facebook, and everybody's getting involved and I'm loving all 18 00:01:30,719 --> 00:01:34,840 the replies that I've been getting. And the one that I posted last night 19 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:44,280 is what's the best gardening tip that you have ever been told? Now? 20 00:01:44,879 --> 00:01:48,120 A lot of people do love to share the tips with one another, just 21 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,760 like me. I like to share my tips on what I learn from other 22 00:01:51,799 --> 00:01:56,159 people or what I've learned from myself. So I hope that you get some 23 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,159 good tips from my podcast myself, and I hope that encourages you to try 24 00:02:01,159 --> 00:02:06,799 a little bits as well. As gardening is always a learning curve. It 25 00:02:06,879 --> 00:02:09,199 might work for one person and it might not work for you. That's the 26 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,560 way that gardening goes. Not everybody can do things perfectly. I wish we 27 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:20,360 could, and then we'd have no trouble and bountiless harvests all the time, 28 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:25,000 and it'd be perfect and easy. We wouldn't need these podcasts or these gardening 29 00:02:25,039 --> 00:02:30,840 channels if we grew things nice and easy, but we do have as issues 30 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:38,240 now. The best gardening tip that I have ever been told was actually from 31 00:02:38,439 --> 00:02:43,199 my dad, and we have a lot of trouble with squivels on our allotment 32 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:49,039 and mice and rats and things like that, as you do on anywhere. 33 00:02:49,599 --> 00:02:55,919 And one time I'd planted all my sweet corn all looked absolutely delicious, it 34 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,199 were growing well, it were ready to pick, and I thought, I'm 35 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,280 going to pick that tomorrow. I'm going to come down pick it all tomorrow 36 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,680 and take it all home with me. Well I came down and every sweet 37 00:03:07,719 --> 00:03:14,879 corn had been attacked, eaten, it had all been decimated, and I'd 38 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,800 lost a lot. I felt like crying because sweet corn is one of my 39 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:22,840 favorite things to grow on my allotment, which I've talked about before, and 40 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:29,319 it were all gone. And one year when I came down to the allotment, 41 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:35,080 I saw a squirrel running around with a corn in its mouth. It 42 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,800 was carrying it a full sized corner. For what it's a squirrel that's pinching 43 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:46,400 them. And my dad came up with an ingenious idea of using his plastic 44 00:03:46,439 --> 00:03:52,439 bottles what he saves and cutting the bottom off and shoving it on top of 45 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,560 the corn. Obviously, once it's pollinated, once it's growing and it's getting 46 00:03:55,599 --> 00:03:59,719 towards the ripening stage, because they won't eat them until they start ripening. 47 00:04:00,599 --> 00:04:04,319 They like them when in the nice and ripe. So I put one of 48 00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:10,280 those bottles on top of every sweet corn last year, and not one of 49 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:15,000 them got touched because they couldn't get to them. They couldn't get inside of 50 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,040 the bottles. Now the bottles just fit on nicely on top, and yeah, 51 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:23,920 all my sweet corn were protected and I had a fantastic crop last year. 52 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,720 Other people's got decimated, got eaten. I did tell him about the 53 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,480 tip, but whether they chose to try it or not that was the question. 54 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,240 But yeah, all my sweet corn survived and so did my dad's and 55 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:41,360 we had some fantastic sweet corns. So if you have issues with squirrels, 56 00:04:41,439 --> 00:04:45,360 rats and mice down at your allotment, I give you that tip to use 57 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,879 from my dad to you all to have a nice growing sweet corn this year 58 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:54,680 on the allotment. And he's been saving all the bottles for me for this 59 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,680 year. Obviously, I've saved all the ones from last year, but I 60 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,399 am growing a lot more sweet corn this year, so I do a lot 61 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,160 more bottles as I do want to protect them all and hopefully have some decent 62 00:05:04,199 --> 00:05:10,279 sweet corn. So yeah, there's loads of little tips out there for you 63 00:05:10,319 --> 00:05:13,639 to try, and if you don't try all these tips, you will never 64 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,240 know if they actually work or not. But I'm hoping that I do get 65 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:26,199 some decent sweet corn down at the allotment this year, and hopefully all this 66 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,600 rain will help it grow, as it will boil it hot. On Monday, 67 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,879 absolutely gorgeous. I was some bathing down at the allotment. I couldn't 68 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:39,839 believe how hot it was, and then yesterday it absolutely chucked it down. 69 00:05:40,199 --> 00:05:44,839 I was watching the weather report today and it said that we've had one hundred 70 00:05:44,879 --> 00:05:49,319 and ten percent of our duelyigh web rain this year, so we've had double 71 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:54,360 the amount of what we should have had already. And wow, we certainly 72 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,759 got it yesterday. But I don't mind. I was working yesterday, so 73 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,800 it can rain all the time. When I'm working, I don't care. 74 00:06:00,079 --> 00:06:03,000 Then I don't have to go down the water. I just have to worry 75 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,480 about all them slugs going around eating everything. But that's the only issue when 76 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:12,079 it starts raining. So hopefully when I go back to the allotment on Saturday, 77 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,639 it will have shot up again and more than likely all the weeds will 78 00:06:15,639 --> 00:06:19,199 have grown back as well. If anybody's got any good tips for getting rid 79 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:25,000 of weeds, let me know. I think only the best thing is using 80 00:06:25,079 --> 00:06:28,480 you getting down there and getting them out yourself. I don't think anyone's come 81 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:33,560 up with a genius idea for weeds yet, unfortunately, but yeah, we've 82 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:38,480 got stuff like that. Another thing what I'm starting to do is I'm starting 83 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:45,360 to share daily tips on my podcast and on my Instagram and Facebook, and 84 00:06:45,399 --> 00:06:48,560 I hope that you're all enjoying these little tips and advice. And one of 85 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:58,040 the tips that I shared this morning on my Instagram was to save your flower 86 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,720 heads from your flowers. I know I don't tend to do this, and 87 00:07:00,759 --> 00:07:05,839 I need to really start doing it as obviously it'll save money, it'll save 88 00:07:05,959 --> 00:07:13,480 time and save going out and buying the seeds. And this year was I 89 00:07:13,519 --> 00:07:16,519 grew some poppies from seed. Now, these are ornamental poppies. They're not 90 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,079 the red ones that you see like in the street growing out in the curbside, 91 00:07:20,199 --> 00:07:26,680 or the California the Icelandic ones that are yellow and original and things like 92 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,600 that. These are actual ornamental ones where they look really isolated. Purples and 93 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,000 stuff like that. So we've got there growing on the a lotment. Now 94 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,879 one of them has just lost all its petals. I've still got quite a 95 00:07:38,879 --> 00:07:41,759 few to come out, but one of them has just lost its petals, 96 00:07:42,199 --> 00:07:48,839 and I can see the seed head there ready, So once it's died off 97 00:07:49,439 --> 00:07:54,759 and it's ready for drying out, then I'll chop it off and take all 98 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,079 the seeds and save them all for next year. I could obviously scatter them 99 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,519 this year the ground and let them grow ready for next year, but I 100 00:08:03,519 --> 00:08:07,480 think I'm going to save all the seeds and grow them in my shed again 101 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,399 like I did this year, and do it that way, as I want 102 00:08:11,439 --> 00:08:15,040 to grow them and put them where I want them rather than just sprinkle them 103 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,680 everywhere. If you get me and between now and next year, I'll probably 104 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,879 dig them over and pull them out, thinking that the weeds grow, so 105 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,399 I want to grow them in my greenhouse and hopefully get them started. But 106 00:08:26,519 --> 00:08:31,800 the same girls for like sweet peas. If you're growing sweet peas, obviously 107 00:08:31,839 --> 00:08:35,600 the more you pick the sweet peas, the more the will continue growing and 108 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,120 getting more flowers on, whereas if you don't pick them, they go to 109 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:45,120 seed, So it's worth off just letting a few plants go to seed and 110 00:08:45,279 --> 00:08:50,240 getting the sweet peas seeds off it, because it's a lot lot cheaper than 111 00:08:50,279 --> 00:08:54,080 buying the seeds from the shop sweet Peace seeds that cost a fortune, and 112 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:58,720 you hardly get any seeds in the packet as well. For some bazar reason. 113 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:03,799 You'd think it quite cheap for sweet Peace seeds with how easy the seed 114 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:09,440 pods form on those sweet peas, but no, they're quite expensive. So 115 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,200 if you're wanting to grow sweet Peace next year, save some seeds for next 116 00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:16,759 year, same girls for like runner beans for your peas. If you're wanting 117 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:22,399 to save money, you use the seeds that you've grown this year. And 118 00:09:22,519 --> 00:09:26,039 I need to start doing that mark. And obviously, like I mentioned the 119 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:30,399 other day about taking cuttings off plants as well, Like even if you go 120 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:31,879 to visit a friend's house or something and you think, oh, that's a 121 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,600 nice plant, just ask them say I take a few cuttings off it. 122 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,519 They're probably not mind, and then start them off and then you can plant 123 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:43,720 them in your garden and you've got a plant for free. And that's the 124 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,480 best way to do it. And obviously you can't do it in certain places. 125 00:09:46,519 --> 00:09:50,240 You can't go around your look up botanical gardens and take cuttings off some 126 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,639 of the nice roses and stuff like that. You can't do that. But 127 00:09:52,919 --> 00:09:56,759 if you're at a friend's house or visiting someone, just ask them if you 128 00:09:56,799 --> 00:10:03,159 can take a little cutting off and get some plants growing. And that's certainly 129 00:10:03,159 --> 00:10:09,879 what I'm doing obviously with my futures, with my verses, I've done my 130 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,840 verses as well, and I've also done some lavender. I said, I 131 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,240 keep you up to date with how well they're getting on. Well, the 132 00:10:16,279 --> 00:10:20,320 plants the cuttings haven't died yet, so that's a good side. They're all 133 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,919 still alive here in my flat. That's why I wanted to bring them all 134 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:28,080 home to my flat and start them all off in like pots of water so 135 00:10:28,159 --> 00:10:30,600 that I can actually keep an eye and rather than leave them all at the 136 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:37,320 allotment in actual soil compost and keeping them watered down there. That's the issue 137 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:39,600 obviously. When I'm working for four days, I don't go down to the 138 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:45,360 allotment. So hopefully, fingers crossed, we are going to get absolutely loads 139 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,200 of lavender plants and future plants for next year. So I will keep you 140 00:10:48,279 --> 00:10:52,399 updated on the progress of that, and fingers crossed. In a couple of 141 00:10:52,399 --> 00:10:56,039 weeks, I might be planting them all up into plant pots if they've all 142 00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:00,360 got roots on them, So we'll have to wait and see about. It's 143 00:11:00,399 --> 00:11:05,919 the first time that I've done like all the cuttings myself and got I'm all 144 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:11,960 growing, so hopefully we can actually succeed and do this because I'll be happy 145 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,200 with myself. I still need to look about how to take cuttings for hydrangers. 146 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:20,480 That's one of the jobs that I do need to do. So hopefully 147 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:24,639 we'll have some hydranger plants growing as well as they're gorgeous as well, or 148 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:28,639 mine that have grown on the allotment of come out pink, which means that 149 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,639 it's an acid soil rather than an alkali because if they're blue, that means 150 00:11:33,639 --> 00:11:39,279 it's alkali soil. So the hydrangers tend to change color to what the soil 151 00:11:39,399 --> 00:11:43,360 actually is. So you could go to US Garden Center and buy a blue 152 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,080 hydranger thinking, oh, I've got a nice blue hydroendria, but then it 153 00:11:46,159 --> 00:11:52,879 might turn pink because the soil is as acidic rather than alkali. So yeah, 154 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:58,080 that has been our little podcast for tonight, so please do go over 155 00:11:58,159 --> 00:12:03,360 to my st post or my Facebook post comment what the best tips are that 156 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:09,840 you have learned in your garden in time, and I'll hopefully talk about some 157 00:12:09,919 --> 00:12:13,360 of them on my podcast tomorrow. As I'm wanting to get more interactive with 158 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:18,480 my podcast, I'm wanting to hear what people are saying and get back to 159 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,960 you on the podcast and talk about it yourself as well. So I hope 160 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,679 you've enjoyed this podcast. I've recorded this on Wednesday evening, so I don't 161 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,279 know if England have won yet or not, or if you're through to the 162 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,279 finals, but we'll see so by the time you listen to this, we'll 163 00:12:35,279 --> 00:12:41,960 know the fate of England tomorrow. So yeah, I hope you're enjoying the 164 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,879 podcast. Remember to do give it a like, please give me a follow 165 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:50,240 if you're not following me, and remember to share it out as well on 166 00:12:50,279 --> 00:12:52,600 your Instagram store as well. That would really help. All you have to 167 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,639 do is click the share and click on stories and it'll post it to your 168 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:01,600 Instagram Stories. The more people get listening into this podcast, the better, 169 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:07,000 So thanks for listening. Until next time, Remember keep smiling, keep shining 170 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:18,080 and keep gardening with everyone. Thank you for joining me on this episode of 171 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,000 Gardening with Ben. I hope you have found some useful tips and inspiration for 172 00:13:22,039 --> 00:13:26,960 your own gardening and a lotment journey. If you have enjoyed today's episode, 173 00:13:28,159 --> 00:13:33,240 please make sure to follow and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a 174 00:13:33,279 --> 00:13:35,320 new episode. And if you have a moment, I'd love for you to 175 00:13:35,399 --> 00:13:41,639 leave a review and share the podcast with fellow of gardening hucasts. Your support 176 00:13:41,759 --> 00:13:46,759 helps us grow this community and continue bringing you great content. You can also 177 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:52,320 follow us on social media on every platform for all Gardening with Ben for daily 178 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:58,799 gardening tips and we days. Happy gardening, and until next time, remember 179 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:03,080 keep smiling, keep shining, and keep gardening with them.