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The Agitator

Madeleine from Mad About Herbs is back to tell us what we should be doing in the herb garden now that it’s autumn.

I’ve been out and about, to the Food Growing Bloggers Meet-up – check out my photos. We were lucky enough to be joined by Ben from Real Seeds, who talked about the important of seed saving (a topic that was also covered in AKG 028). There were also talks from Patrick from Bifurcated Carrots and Simon from The Plot Thickens.

And I’ve also been to a composting plant in Dorset – New Earth Solutions – to see one of the ways in which we can deal with organic waste (garden waste, food waste and cardboard). I took some photos there too!

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It’s time to clear spent crops away to the compost heap

It’s September, and here in the Alternative Kitchen Garden we’re looking back at what’s been happening this summer and turning our thoughts to getting ready for winter.

As well as harvesting the last summer crops before the first frosts (check out the frost dates in your area), we’re saving seeds, sowing green manures, getting ready to make leaf mould and thinking about homes for wildlife. And on top of all that we’re sowing seeds for winter salads and leafy greens and peashoots!

To round off the show we have a wonderful music track from Rebsie Fairholm (who also blogs at Daughter of the Soil) about something that disturbs the peace in many an autumn garden.

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The latest episode of the Alternative Kitchen Garden is on ladybirds – or ladybeetles – which are a real force for good in the garden. I’ve been finding out about our native ladybird species, but also about an invasive alien species that I’ve spotted in the garden. If you want to know what Harlequin ladybirds look like, or report a siting, then visit the website of the Harlequin Ladybird Survey.

You’ve been sending me emails on using tansy to repel whitefly, composting food waste in a food digester (check out Lisa’s Bokashi website) and courgettes.

There’s still a few days left if you want to listen to my appearance on Radio 4’s Go4It show, and if you haven’t already seen it then you might want to check out my article on useful weeds that appeared in the Guardian newspaper: No Hoe Zone.

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In this episode you can find out the exciting reason why recent AKG episodes haven’t been quite as regular as they could be, and why your garden knows that we’ve just passed the solstice – even if you don’t!

But the main focus of this episode is on planning for winter crops, especially for those people who have started to grow their own vegetables because they want to save money during the Credit Crunch and would like to make the most of their garden throughout the year.

You might also want to go back and listen to episode 23, on seeds for late sowing, or episode 18 on Oriental vegetables. And last year I wrote an article on how to grow spring cabbage.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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I’m out in the Grow Dome this week, checking up on progress there and in the garden. Among other things there are new pond plants, too many tomatoes, potato flowers and new raised beds for the squash plants. What there isn’t is any soya beans.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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Intrepid Oxfordshire Master Composters test the heap temperature at Agrivert’s composting facility

In this episode I talk about why I got involved with the Oxfordshire Master Composter scheme, what it involves and the benefits of home composting.

Garden Organic’s home composting website is the place to find out whether there’s a Master Composter scheme in your area, and how to get in touch with your local Master Composters if you would like their help.

WRAP’s RecycleNow website has some good information for people who are new to composting, and you can find out about subsidized compost bins in your area there too.

If you want to know more about composting then check out some of the previous AKG episodes. Episode 3 is on general composting, episode 26 is on worm composting and episode 60 covers cold composting. Looking forward to later in the year, episode 32 explains how to make leaf mould.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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Find out about this week’s composting offers from Wiggly Wigglers – and how to bag some free seed potatoes – at Muppet’s Moolah.

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In this episode I talk about my experiences with the latest arrival on the composting scene – Bokashi.

Garden Organic are running a Bokashi trial – so if you’ve got experiences you would like to share with them you can download the details from their Home Composting website.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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This time last year we were talking about courgettes, and hopefully this summer we’ll have better weather and can have more success with the courgette trial! And you can get a good deal on the forthcoming Seeds of Italy cookbook if you pre-order from their website!

This episode is all about pest repellent plants, including companion plants such as marigolds and nasturtiums and plants like the Shoo Fly plant (Nicandra physaloides) and the Scardy Cat plant (Coleus canina) and herbs that actively repel flies or larger pests!

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can get real time updates from the AKG on Twitter and you can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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Vote for your favourite gardening blogs, websites and podcast over at Mouse & Trowel.

We’re indoors today, talking about indoor air quality and sick building syndrome – and the part that houseplants can play in helping to keep us all healthy. I thoroughly recommend buying Dr B C Wolverton’s book, ‘How to Grow Fresh Air’ if you’re interested in this subject – it contains information about how plants clean our air, how to successfully care for houseplants and the top 50 plants for improving air quality, rated scientifically. (Buy from Amazon UK or US)

For reference, the plants mentioned in the show are: The Areca palm (AKA the yellow or butterfly palm), the Lady palm, the Bamboo palm, Rubber plants, Dracaena “Janet Craig”, English Ivy, the dwarf Date palm, Ficus alii, the Boston fern and the Peac lily.

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can also download a PDF transcript of this show.

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Vote for your favourite gardening blogs, websites and podcast over at Mouse & Trowel.

Grow your own superfood! Blueberries are easy to grow (at least in theory ;) and happy in containers. You will need a water butt, though, so check out episode 14 on water-wise gardening (not episode 13, as I mentioned in the show).

Leave me a comment, send me an email or join our Facebook group. You can also download a PDF transcript of this show.