1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:07,679 Hello and welcome to Gardening with Ben, the award winning gardening podcast as voted 2 00:00:07,719 --> 00:00:11,679 for by the Grow your Own magazine and buy my followers and buy my listeners. 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,039 I hope that you have all clicked that subscribe button. If you're us 4 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,359 to the podcast channel, please do click the subscribe button and then you get 5 00:00:19,399 --> 00:00:24,359 notified of all the new podcasts that get launched. And if you're not following 6 00:00:24,359 --> 00:00:29,719 me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, make sure you look 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:34,280 for Gardening with Ben and follow me on all my social media's. So sit 8 00:00:34,359 --> 00:00:40,159 back, relaxed, grab a boot, and let's enjoy today's Gardening Podcast with 9 00:00:40,439 --> 00:00:46,840 Ben. Hello, and welcome to Gardening with Ben, the podcast where you're 10 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:53,039 gardening dreams take Route. I'm Ben, your host and fellow gardening enthusiasts. 11 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:59,399 Every podcast will dive into the vibrant world of horticulture, exploring everything from the 12 00:00:59,399 --> 00:01:06,280 basics of planting and nurturing in your garden and allotment to the aspects of landscape 13 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:10,519 design. Whether you're seasoned, green fun, or just starting out with your 14 00:01:10,599 --> 00:01:15,280 first potted plan, this shows your go to resource for practical tips, expert 15 00:01:15,359 --> 00:01:21,840 advice, and inspiring stories of me down at my allotment. So grab your 16 00:01:21,879 --> 00:01:25,959 gloves, get ready to get your hands dirty, and let's grow together with 17 00:01:26,239 --> 00:01:32,159 Gardening with Ben. Hey, everybody, it's not a ghost. It is 18 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:38,000 Gardening with Ben here, and we are back with another podcast after so long, 19 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,280 and it's been so long. In the last episode, I did say 20 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,879 that I would start doing them again regularly, and I've obviously not been doing 21 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,319 but I do apologize for that. But I've been having a long hard think 22 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,920 and I have been missing doing these episodes. So they are coming back, 23 00:01:56,079 --> 00:02:00,840 and hopefully we're going to get a few recorded for you in advance so that 24 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:07,319 they're all ready lined up for you to listen to. So it is Christmas 25 00:02:07,319 --> 00:02:09,919 time, well, Christmas has actually gone now. All the bargains are in 26 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:15,800 the shops, everything's on sale. I've been looking around to see if i 27 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:22,039 can get any gardening bargains, but unfortunately I've not been able to find any 28 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,400 bargains as yet. But let me know if you've managed to find any. 29 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,479 And obviously one of the good news is is that Wilcos is coming back, 30 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,039 so we'll be able to get as seats from there, and also I've spotted 31 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,319 that they are selling them in my Range shop as well the Wilcose seeds, 32 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:46,520 so even better. That was one thing that I was definitely worried about when 33 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,199 the Wilco shops were shut in is where I'm going to get all my seeds 34 00:02:50,199 --> 00:02:57,280 from. As I've always had reliable crops from the Wilcose shops themselves, So 35 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,919 I want to continue buying the Wilcose seeds from the Range from now on, 36 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,800 so I don't need to shop online. I can go to an actual shop 37 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,560 and buy what I need. So, like I said, this is going 38 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:13,759 to be the Christmas episode. And yeah, it has been a long time 39 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,680 since this last podcast, and again I've not been putting much content out on 40 00:03:17,719 --> 00:03:22,759 Facebook or Instagram. Fingers crossed we can start to get that all back up 41 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:28,159 and running again and get it all back how it used to be. Again. 42 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,960 I do apologize. I've been going through some personal problems of myself just 43 00:03:34,039 --> 00:03:38,039 struggling a lot recently, and it's made me realize how much I am missing 44 00:03:38,199 --> 00:03:43,439 doing all this. So I'm back at it and hopefully we'll get lots of 45 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,800 new episodes in the new year for you. And this episode we're going to 46 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:53,039 be talking about what we've been up to, and yeah, a bit of 47 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:59,080 Christmas Is stuff and obviously coming up in coming up episodes, we're going to 48 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,120 talk about how his years been and what our plans for next year are, 49 00:04:03,479 --> 00:04:10,120 so make sure you stay tuned for those episodes coming up. So what have 50 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:15,120 we been up to, you may ask? I have been sharing some bits 51 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,480 and bobs on Instagram of some of the projects that I've been doing, but 52 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:25,480 I'm currently in the process of redoing all the plot up, making it all 53 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:30,399 look good again, and spending some time and some money on the redevelopment of 54 00:04:30,439 --> 00:04:40,279 it just to make it look better and how it's set up really, as 55 00:04:40,759 --> 00:04:45,600 one of the main projects on the plot was to get my shed rebuilt, 56 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:51,759 as that was structurally damaged and it needed a lot of work doing to it. 57 00:04:53,439 --> 00:04:55,720 But we've managed to get a lot of that done. There's still some 58 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,639 bits left to do on it. After the recent storms, it has had 59 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,240 some damaged into it, so we're going to have to try and fix that 60 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:09,240 and get that sorted. But the areas that I've been concentrated on, mainly 61 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:15,920 at the moment, I've been my fruit treat area. I did this fruit 62 00:05:15,959 --> 00:05:23,160 tree area possibly about eight years ago and I've not really done any work to 63 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:28,319 it while it's been done. What I did, I laid some black membrane 64 00:05:28,439 --> 00:05:31,639 down. I planted my mobile plants through the black membrane. I paved all 65 00:05:31,639 --> 00:05:36,519 the path down the side. I edged it all off with wood to make 66 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:42,720 it look nice and everything. But last summer the brambles got the whold of 67 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,480 it and they were growing everywhere, and it was just absolutely awful. The 68 00:05:47,519 --> 00:05:55,000 brambles were everywhere. So I spent it must have been a good week clearing 69 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,040 out around my fruit trees, pruning them all back tidy and all up, 70 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,360 shaping them all up. Don't ask me how to prune, because I just 71 00:06:01,439 --> 00:06:04,839 take a guess that I have a girl. All I know is that you've 72 00:06:04,879 --> 00:06:09,720 got to let the air breathe through it. You can't have any branches touching 73 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:15,720 one another, and they need to be pointing upwards. So that's what I 74 00:06:15,759 --> 00:06:18,160 know about pruning. But we still get fruit on them, so I must 75 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:23,079 be doing something right. So we've been pruning them all back and getting the 76 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:29,160 most in ship shape ready for next year, and hopefully we'll get some more 77 00:06:29,199 --> 00:06:32,360 delicious fruit on them. And I'm hoping to put a winter wash on them 78 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,199 soon to stop the winter off, but with the amount of rain that we've 79 00:06:38,199 --> 00:06:41,800 had, it will just wash back off again, so we need to wait 80 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,879 for some dry days before we can spare them with the winter wash, but 81 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,879 just give them that extra protection and look after them. So that's one thing 82 00:06:50,959 --> 00:06:56,439 that we've been up to. And because it's got black membrane down and everything 83 00:06:56,519 --> 00:06:59,720 like that, I don't get no wheat growing on it, even though the 84 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:05,199 breaks do manage to find a way of grown out and about round all the 85 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:10,759 fruit trees. We have put some woodchip down as well, just to make 86 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:15,839 it look nicer and more aesthetic to the eye, because I do want my 87 00:07:15,879 --> 00:07:21,240 plot to look nice and attractive this year. I know an allotments not meant 88 00:07:21,279 --> 00:07:26,399 to look pretty and fantastic, but I do want my plot to look good. 89 00:07:26,439 --> 00:07:30,240 I've not got a garden myself at home, so my allotment is my 90 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:35,240 garden, and it's my safe space and a happy space. So more nicer 91 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,959 it looks, and the better looking it looks, the happier I will be 92 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,720 with it. So we've wood chipped all that area and made it all look 93 00:07:44,759 --> 00:07:48,480 fantastic, and it does really look posh now I know the wood chip will 94 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:53,600 not eventually, but every couple of years I can keep buying a couple of 95 00:07:53,639 --> 00:07:58,680 bags and chucking it on and just it keeps the rhubarb mulster as well, 96 00:07:59,439 --> 00:08:03,399 which will keep a bit nice and moist and hopefully get it growing faster as 97 00:08:03,439 --> 00:08:09,160 well. I've already got a lot of rubble popping through already. Yes it 98 00:08:09,279 --> 00:08:13,199 is December, but the rhubarbie is popping through. It's showing its face. 99 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:18,720 So the mulch must be warming the crowns up and thinking it's time to start 100 00:08:18,759 --> 00:08:24,240 growing. So it's doing its trick, is doing it good, and it's 101 00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:28,639 keeping them nice and moist and looking good. So we've done all that, 102 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:35,440 and I'm pleased with how the fruit treat area is looking now. And one 103 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,720 area that I've also been looking at is my strawberry bed area. We've got 104 00:08:39,759 --> 00:08:45,399 all that salted, we've got all the runners taken off what we're growing off 105 00:08:45,399 --> 00:08:50,919 them. We've potted all them up. They're all steadily growing and coming along. 106 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,440 I will plant them probably out around March time. I can plant them 107 00:08:54,440 --> 00:09:00,600 out now if I want to. Strawberry plants are very hardy and they do 108 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:05,960 survive through cold and frost and snow, but I do want to get them 109 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,879 growing a bit in the greenhouse first, and then I will plant them out 110 00:09:09,919 --> 00:09:13,360 in their spaces, because yes, I may have about two hundred strawberry plants, 111 00:09:13,399 --> 00:09:18,440 but I have got a lot of gaps where plants have died off or 112 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,320 they've not taken and stuff like that, so we need to keep them keep 113 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,960 growing. And the more that we'll look after the strawberry plans, the more 114 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:31,200 strawberries will get off. And you can never have enough strawberries. As I 115 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,080 always say in all my podcasts, strawberries are one of my favorite things from 116 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,720 the allotment, so we're going to make sure we look after them this year. 117 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,919 So I've done the strawberry bed area. So the next area that we 118 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:50,759 are up to is my main plot area, which is going to take a 119 00:09:50,799 --> 00:09:54,960 lot of time, but in fear right, we've got four months to do 120 00:09:54,039 --> 00:10:00,879 it because we shan't be planting anything outside until at least June July time, 121 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:05,559 so possibly even six months. I don't plan anything outside until the chance of 122 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:09,679 frost has gone, which is usually end of May beginning of June, so 123 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:18,320 we've got six months to get my plot in order and that is possibly how 124 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:26,080 things are looking up. So we've got all that sort out and the plan 125 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:31,120 is to get all the paths relaid, all the beds rebuilt. It's all 126 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,320 tied it up and looking smart again, and it is a big job. 127 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:41,799 You don't realize how big a job an allotment is. People think, oh, 128 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:46,000 I can just go down a couple of hours each weekend. It's not 129 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:50,600 as easy as that. Trust me. An allotment is hard work and it 130 00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:54,480 can be really time consuming. It is near enough a full time job. 131 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:58,720 And as I know it, I had a letter from the council last year 132 00:10:58,759 --> 00:11:01,360 saying that I need to tide in my plot up, so that has given 133 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,360 me a kick up the backside to get it on and get it started even 134 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:09,799 more. So that is that area coming up. And once we're tidy up 135 00:11:09,799 --> 00:11:13,879 all the plot and rebuilt all the beds and everything, the main job will 136 00:11:13,919 --> 00:11:18,960 be to paint all the beds up, painting all the fencing up, paint 137 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,720 my shed up. But we're not going to do that until around springtime because 138 00:11:22,759 --> 00:11:26,600 there's no point painting it up now and all the bad weather just washing it 139 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,879 straight back off again. So we're going to be waiting until springtime before we 140 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,399 start painting it and making it look more attractive. You don't have to paint 141 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,759 your beds, but I paint them just to protect them from rotting a bit 142 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:45,399 faster and just to make it look nice as well. So yeah, we've 143 00:11:45,399 --> 00:11:48,919 got We've done quite a lot on the plot this winter so far, and 144 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,759 I use winter as the time of getting my plot ready for next year. 145 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,519 I don't use winters for growing anything. The only things that I've got growing 146 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,440 are some garlics and some winter onions. That's the only things that I've got 147 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,960 growing on my plot at the moment. Like people can grow stuff in polytunnels 148 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,879 and stuff like that in greenhouse, but I want to concentrate on getting my 149 00:12:13,919 --> 00:12:18,480 plot ready and ship shape ready for next year's bumper crop and things cross. 150 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:24,320 We are going to have a bumper crop, so we'll have to see if 151 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,279 we do manage to get us plot looking really good. And so far, 152 00:12:28,879 --> 00:12:33,320 I'm impressed with it, and quite a few people on the site have said 153 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:37,480 how good the plot is looking. So stay tuned and you never know, 154 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:46,519 we may have some fantastic things growing on the allotment next year. So yeah, 155 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,720 that is what we've been up to on our plot. And that's quite 156 00:12:50,759 --> 00:12:54,960 a long catch up really of how much we've been doing down at the site. 157 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:58,200 And as you can tell, I have been extremely busy with doing it, 158 00:13:00,519 --> 00:13:03,559 and obviously it's around Christmas time at the moment. Yes, Christmas has 159 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:09,240 passed, but there's plenty of nice Christmas plants still out there and about. 160 00:13:09,799 --> 00:13:13,679 And one of the plants which I've not actually purchased this year, which I'm 161 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:18,120 surprised that I usually purchased one, is a point I can never say that 162 00:13:18,159 --> 00:13:22,480 word poniceta. And usually they start off reeling nice and red, and then 163 00:13:22,919 --> 00:13:28,960 one next day all leaves have dropped and they all disappeared. I don't know 164 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,600 if anyone has ever had any good look with growing in a plant, but 165 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,639 mine always seems to drop its leaves and I end up losing it all. 166 00:13:37,519 --> 00:13:41,919 But it's the fun of having a nice poisetter for Christmas. But one thing 167 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,960 that I do always grow, which I have purchased again this year, is 168 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:52,399 some Amaryllis plants. Now bought two this year. I bought a red one 169 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,639 and I think I bought a white one and looking at them just now, 170 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,360 they are starting to send the leaves out so fingers crossed, they will start 171 00:14:01,399 --> 00:14:11,240 to grow fast because amarillas do grow really fast once you start growing. How 172 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:16,600 fast they grow each day is unbelievable. Literally they can you can see them 173 00:14:16,639 --> 00:14:22,159 growing. They grow that fast. It is amazing how fast they do. 174 00:14:22,759 --> 00:14:26,799 But we've got an amus growing. So once it starts to flower and it 175 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:31,759 gets near to flowering, I will start sharing some pictures on Instagram for you 176 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,519 to be able to see them. If you're not following my Instagram, do 177 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,720 give it a follow. It's called Gardening with Ben, and yeah, you'll 178 00:14:37,759 --> 00:14:43,679 be able to have a look and see how it's doing. So that is 179 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:50,679 basically that at the moment with festive plans, is anybody else growing any festive 180 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,840 plants? Do let me know send me a message. I always like to 181 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,840 know what people are growing themselves. And it's interesting hearing from the listeners because 182 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,360 I don't know who's listening to this podcast. I get stats and everything telling 183 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:07,960 me where people have been listening in different parts of country and different parts of 184 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,879 the world, which I really find interested in where people listen to. But 185 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,039 yeah, I'm interested in hearing from the listeners, So make sure you give 186 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:24,000 Gardening with Ben a follow On Instagram and send me a message. So that 187 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,200 is basically what we've been up to and a bit of Christmas thrown in. 188 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:35,919 Hopefully in the next episode we're going to start talking about our year in roundup, 189 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,919 how well we've done, how well the allotment's been, and what we've 190 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:46,799 been getting up to at the what's how well we've done this year, what's 191 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:52,879 grown well, what's growing rubbish? And yeah, I'm honest with what I 192 00:15:52,919 --> 00:15:56,200 do with the plot. I tell people how it is, if it's growing 193 00:15:56,279 --> 00:16:02,120 rubbish, and if I'll try it again. So make sure you stay tuned 194 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:07,200 for that episode. It will be coming on the thirty first, and you 195 00:16:07,279 --> 00:16:11,039 never know, there might be another episode thrown in before that, so make 196 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:17,519 sure you stay tuned for that episode. And also we'll be doing our other 197 00:16:17,639 --> 00:16:21,799 episode at the beginning of January, talking about what sort of stuff you can 198 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:26,200 start planting in January and tips and advice for what to do with that month. 199 00:16:26,759 --> 00:16:30,440 So thank you for listening to today's podcast. I hope you've enjoyed it. 200 00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:34,559 I hope you've enjoyed hearing me back on the podcast again. And yeah, 201 00:16:36,559 --> 00:16:41,039 I'm glad to be back and I am smiling right now. As I'm 202 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:45,200 saying this because I am happy. So remember, keep smiling, keep shining, 203 00:16:45,559 --> 00:16:51,039 and keep gardening with Ben everybody. Until the next time. Thank you 204 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:56,440 for listening to today's Gardening with Ben's podcast. I hope that you've enjoyed it. 205 00:16:56,519 --> 00:17:00,399 If you haven't subscribed to this channel, please do click that subscribe button 206 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,319 and feel free to share it as well on your Instagram stories. 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Check out my Dancing 212 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:33,000 Gardening with Ben and check out the link as well in the description of this 213 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:37,319 podcast where you can check out my gardening t shirt shop where I sell funny 214 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:44,400 t shirts with all different funny logos and designs off and feel free to support 215 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,920 me by purchasing one, and all the money obviously goes back into my allotment 216 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:52,119 where I can share more gardening tips with you. All, so until next 217 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:57,160 time, remember keep smiling, keep gardening, and keep listening to Gardening with 218 00:17:57,279 --> 00:17:59,440 Ben's podcasts.