AKG 20090702 - Rusty Garlic

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Rusty Porcelain garlic
Sad, rusty garlic

It’s hot here in the UK this week, and I’m gardening in the early hours so I don’t overheat. This morning I was digging up the garlic that is suffering from leek rust, replanting the beds with wonderberries and a cassaabanana, and giving everything a good water.

* I’ve got my garlic varieties mixed up in this episode. Thermidrome is a hard-necked variety which stores well, and Porcelain is a soft-necked variety that will grow scapes.*

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Petmeds coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 2 July 2009, 09:45.   Comment

AKG 20090619 - Compost and frogs

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Strawberries and flowers
Strawberries in Helsinki, Finland

I get distracted by a frog in the Grow Dome when I’m trying to explain what I’ve been doing to the compost heaps.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Avis coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 19 June 2009, 11:09.   Comment

AKG 20090603 - Leaf mould potting compost

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Year old leaf mould
Leaf mould

I turn leaf mould and comfrey into potting compost for next year.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Avis coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 3 June 2009, 09:36.   Comment

AKG 20090530 - Spider mites & alliums

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Leeks and not leeks
Alliums

There are spider mites in the Grow Dome, and not everything in the leek bed is a leek.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Angie’s List coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 30 May 2009, 09:23.   Comment

AKG 20090527 - Ensuite Bathroom

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En Suite
Princess Layer enjoys her new ensuite bathroom

The pampered chickens get their own bathroom.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Petmeds coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 27 May 2009, 09:13.   Comment

AKG087 - Holidays (Vacations)

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Weeding
Hen Solo and Princess Layer help with the weeding

Summer is coming, and soon it will be time for holidays (vacations). This episode is all about preparing your garden to survive without you for a couple of weeks. There’s also some interesting tips from a listener on composting cardboard.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show then check out the Brookstone coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 26 May 2009, 10:32.   Comment

AKG 20090523 - Big Drippas

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The Big Dripper
A Big Drippa

Installing a watering system in the Grow Dome.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Footlocker coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 23 May 2009, 08:25.   Comment

AKG 20090520 - Edible Honeysuckles

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Edible honeysuckles
Edible Honeysuckles

I’ve been repotting my two edible honeysuckles.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Eastbay coupons available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 20 May 2009, 10:48.   Comment

AKG 20090517 - Earthing Up

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sc000357a4.jpg
Potato barrels

I’m trying out a new way of earthing up the potatoes in my potato barrels.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Brookstone coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 17 May 2009, 09:04.  

AKG 20090514 - Beans, peppers and awards

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Pepper seedlings
An army of pepper seedlings

Out in the Grow Dome I’ve been supporting French beans and potting up pepper seedlings. And I’ve been shortlisted for an Observer Ethical Award and had an article about the garden published in Home Farmer magazine.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Budget Rent-A-Car coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 14 May 2009, 06:38.  

AKG 20090511 - Japanese Wineberry

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Japanese wineberry
Japanese wineberry

I’ve been planting my Japanese Wineberry out in the garden.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the GoDaddy coupons available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 11 May 2009, 10:27.  

AKG favourite episode survey results

Thank you to everyone who filled in my little survey about your favourite Alternative Kitchen Garden episodes.

There were 3 episodes in first place:

20 garden uses for a plastic bottle, Permaculture basics and Square Foot Gardening.

In second place were Composting in winter, Peppers, Ryton Organic Gardens and Compost.

No episodes received zero votes :)

The second question, on which topics you would like to see covered, was optional – but I received the following comments:

So many thanks to those of you who left comments, and I’ll be looking into covering these topics in future shows.

Posted 8 May 2009, 08:23.  

Observer Ethical Awards 2009

I am proud to announce that The Alternative Kitchen Garden has been shortlisted in the ‘Ethical Garden’ category of the Observer Ethical Awards 2009.

This is new category that rewards gardens great and small which reflect the ethical roots of their custodians. The judges were looking for entries from individual gardens, allotments or community gardens, but not from commercial or business spaces.

In the Alternative Kitchen Garden I grow edible and useful plants in an environmentally friendly way, concentrating on using organic gardening techniques, making as much compost as possible and collecting rainwater. I also encourage wildlife into the garden, keep a pair of chickens and save my own seeds.

Through the Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast and my blog, I share my experiments, successes and failures with gardeners all over the world.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 3rd June. The other two shortlisted candidates in the Ethical Garden category are well worth checking out as well – the RISC roof garden in Reading, and Lower Shaw Farm in Swindon.

Posted 7 May 2009, 04:08.   Comment [1]

AKG 20090506 - Pulling up ivy

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Ivy removal
Removing ivy from the raised bed

Most people don’t use a crowbar when they’re gardening, but some plants are hard to shift once they’ve been growing in a confined space for a while.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the Kashflow coupon available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 6 May 2009, 08:07.  

AKG 20090505 - Replanting the onion bed

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Oca bed
Oca seedlings

I’m replanting one of the beds of overwintering onions with oca.

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The Alternative Kitchen Garden is a free and ad-free podcast, but if you’d like to support the show and save money then check out the ice.com and diamond.com coupons available in association with my other podcast – the Emma and Pete Show.

Posted 5 May 2009, 07:54.