Episode 653 — Seedlings, Straw Bales & the Aphid Battle Begins

In this week's episode of The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard shares a vibrant update from his kitchen garden and allotment in Little Hampton, UK, highlighting key seasonal tasks and challenges. He begins with daily weeding routines, the strategic planting of brassicas to attract pollinators, and the successful relocation of his large VeggiePod to free up patio space. He details a busy sowing week for tender crops like pumpkins, courgettes, and beans, along with potting on seedlings in his cold frame—though one frame suffered wind damage. On the allotment, he celebrates thriving garlic, onions, and apple trees, while grappling with a green manure bed of T'jetts legumes that’s shading weeds but may need to be cut before planting tomatoes and cucumbers. He also shares his progress with a new straw bale garden, now being conditioned with urea and nettle tea for future squash production. The episode’s central focus shifts to an aphid infestation affecting young seedlings in his kitchen, which he attributes to warm, sheltered indoor conditions. Rather than resorting to sprays, Richard opts for natural solutions: moving seedlings to a cooler, ventilated shed, manually washing off aphids, and introducing a ladybird as a biological predator. He reflects on the importance of working with nature and invites listeners to share their own aphid-fighting strategies. The episode closes with a recipe for rhubarb and ginger crumble bars, a tasty treat made from garden produce.