Get garden-ready this summer We caught up with Arit Anderson, and Miranda Janatka from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, for their top gardening tips this summer. Arit Anderson will be sharing even more advice on Saturday 2 September at the Autumn Fair, to keep your garden growing in the autumn months.  BOOK TICKETS /*! elementor - v3.19.0 - 07-02-2024 */ .elementor-widget-video .elementor-widget-container{overflow:hidden;transform:translateZ(0)}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper{aspect-ratio:var(--video-aspect-ratio)}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper iframe,.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper video{height:100%;width:100%;display:flex;border:none;background-color:#000}@supports not (aspect-ratio:1/1){.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper{position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:0;padding-bottom:calc(100% / var(--video-aspect-ratio))}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper iframe,.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper video{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0}}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-open-inline .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;background-size:cover;background-position:50%}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{cursor:pointer;text-align:center}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay:hover .elementor-custom-embed-play i{opacity:1}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay img{display:block;width:100%;aspect-ratio:var(--video-aspect-ratio);-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;-o-object-position:center center;object-position:center center}@supports not (aspect-ratio:1/1){.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:0;padding-bottom:calc(100% / var(--video-aspect-ratio))}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay img{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0}}.elementor-widget-video .e-hosted-video .elementor-video{-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-video,.e-con>.elementor-widget-video{width:var(--container-widget-width);--flex-grow:var(--container-widget-flex-grow)}

Frances Tophill's tips for sustainable gardening Conserving water and making sustainable choices is especially importance during the heat of the summer months. At the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, we asked Frances Tophill for some top tips on how to make sustainable choices in the garden. Watch the video below to find out more!

A recipe for your raspberry harvest Cheap and easy to grow, raspberries are a staple summer fruit. If you’ve already got lots to harvest, why not try the delicious Barbecued peach melba recipe as seen on the Big Kitchen at the BBC Good Food Show Summer this year as a sweet treat your next summer barbecue.  Did you see Carol Klein and Ainsley Harriott at the Show exploring the Show Gardens for grow your own and outdoor living ideas and inspiration, or on the stage sharing advice? Find out more about Ainsley’s raspberry recipe below.For tips on how to grow your own raspberries, click here to read our previous blog with advice from our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.Remember, if you grow a variety of both summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting raspberries, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruit from late June through to October.Plus, save the date for plenty more summer recipe and growing inspiration at BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC Good Food Show Summer from 13-16 June 2024. /*! elementor - v3.19.0 - 07-02-2024 */ 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100%;-webkit-mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);mask-repeat:var(--divider-pattern-repeat);background-color:var(--divider-color);-webkit-mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url);mask-image:var(--divider-pattern-url)}.elementor-widget-divider--no-spacing{--divider-pattern-size:auto}.elementor-widget-divider--bg-round{--divider-pattern-repeat:round}.rtl .elementor-widget-divider .elementor-divider__text{direction:rtl}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-divider,.e-con>.elementor-widget-divider{width:var(--container-widget-width,100%);--flex-grow:var(--container-widget-flex-grow)} Barbecued peach melba As seen on the Big Kitchen at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2023. Recipe credit: Ainsley’s Good Mood Food, published by Ebury Press. Ingredients Serves 4300g fresh raspberries, plus extra to serve1-2 tbsp icing sugar1/2 lemon, zested and juicedSplash of raspberry gin, chambord or framboise liqueur (optional)4 ripe peaches, halved and stonedsmall knob of butter2 tbsp brown sugarrunny honey4-8 scoops vanilla ice cream3 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted Method Put the rasberries in a food processor or blender and blitz until well pureed. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the solids to release the juice. Sift 1 tbsp icing sugar into the puree and whisk until fully combined. Stir through a squeeze of lemon juice to taste and adjust for sweetness if needed. Add a splash of raspberry gin, chambord or framboise liqueur if you like. Chill until ready to serve.Prepare four squares of foil and place two halves of peach on each one, cut-side up. Dot a little butter over each peach half, then top each one with 1/4 tbsp brown sugar, lemon zest, a drizzle of honey and a pinch of black pepper. Gather up the sides of the foil to create a parcel and scrunch to seal the packets.Put the peach parcels on the barbeque grill away from direct heat, or put in the dying embers. Cook for 10-15 mins, depending on the heat of your barbeque.Arrange the peaches in four serving bowls, pouring any over any cooking juices. Top with ice cream, drizzle with raspberry sauce and scatter the toasted almonds and extra fresh raspberries. It’s not always a day for a barbecue! If you fancy this sweet treat, why not try baking your peach parcels in the oven at 200/180C fan/gas 6 for 12-15 minutes. Delve into garden inspiration from the 2023 Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders Find out more about the BBC Good Food Show Summer

You do have green fingers, you just don't know it yet! Adam Marshall took up the challenge of creating a Beautiful Border at this year’s Show. Find out more about his journey building the Border, which he was awarded Gold for… We asked Adam to share his thoughts and motivations during his journey at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Written by Adam Marshall “I don’t have green fingers.” Is a statement I’ve heard countless times, from countless people and it’s a statement that, I always have a little internal giggle because at one time, I probably had a similar mindset.Growing up, gardening was all around me, I had family members who gardened, both ornamental and edible. I never really thought gardening was for me though. As a child my Mum would let me stay up later on a Friday night and watch Ground Force and Gardeners World with her. If I didn’t watch those with her, it was bedtime. I witnessed my parents move into a new build with a garden of mud and transform that garden on a budget, over many years.I believe this subconsciously gave me an understanding, that anyone can create a beautiful garden, whether that be within the traditional understanding of a garden, or tending to plants within another space. We all have green fingers. It wasn’t until many years later, that I started to appreciate gardening and the power of it for myself. Without boring you, I had a bad 2019 and I needed something to improve my physical capacity. I decided that something, was going to be gardening. And do you know what?I loved it! Gardening allowed me to escape, it truly engrossed me so my busy mind was taken off of other worries. I had not had an interest, which had relaxed my mind this way since playing football. Gardening is truly powerful, and although we feel we are tending to our gardens it is in fact, our gardens that tend to us, both physically and mentally. That is exactly what happened.That was exactly the message behind my beautiful border this year at gardeners world live, Strengthen your Body, Heal your Mind & Feed your Soul. It contained a cloud tree, which represented the gardener stood strong and proud at the end of the garden, having been shaped and nurtured through the garden. It was a design that received a lot of love from everyone, and many asked how long it had taken to design the garden?The truth is, it was a pretty spontaneous decision to apply for Gardener’s World. I had been on a TikTok live stream with another gardener and a garden designer suggested I took part. I laughed off the idea, but internally knew I would love to do it. The deadline for application was the following Monday and so, I gave myself the weekend to create a design, submitted it and thought, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.It was meant to be! A few days later I received an acceptance email, but with a query about sourcing some of the plants, including the large cloud tree, due to the cost of them. Don’t worry, I’ll sort it, I replied!Sure enough, with the help of some amazing companies, family and Instagram fam, I was able to recreate my design. I stood at the foot of the beautiful border and thought, ‘you did it’. You see my beautiful border was my story and this felt like the end of a chapter. It felt like closure of a time of my life I’d gone through and despite the struggles of that time, I had navigated my way through. That cloud tree represented me, here I was standing strong and proud, looking over Gardener’s World, the show I had watched with my Mum all those years ago.As one chapter closes, a new one opens, so I’m excited to see where this gardening journey takes me. I hope it isn’t as bumpy as the last one but even if it is, I’ll remember the words on the pull up bar arch.’Under this pressure, under this weight, we are diamonds taking shape.’ Congratulations to Adam, who was awarded Gold for his Strengthen your body, feed your mind and heal your soul Beautiful Border. If you didn’t see the garden at the Show, read all about it here.What’s more, if you’re inspired to design and create your own Beautiful Borders at one of our events, keep your eyes peeled for applications to go live soon!Or, get in touch with [email protected] for more details.

One-pan lemon sole with homegrown basil Grow your own  basil to add flavour to your summer cooking, with tips from our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. Packed with flavour, we’ve got the perfect one-pan recipe to use your basil in, from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022.  In the warmer months, basil is the perfect addition to your windowsill or vegetable patch, and packs fantastic flavours for summer dishes. Read on below for tips on growing basil from our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and to find out more about a delicious one-pan lemon sole recipe, using your basil, from the BBC Good Food Show Summer in 2022. Sowing  Sow basil seed from spring to summer so you have a continuous crop. Sow in containers for a lasting cropGrow in well-drained, fertile soil in a warm, sheltered positionStart seedlings off in pots on a warm, but not sunny windowsill. Pot on into individual pots when plants are big enough to handle.Help your basil acclimatise to conditions outdoors by standing them outside in a sheltered spot and bring them back in at night. Caring for basil Outdoors, basil needs protection from wind and frost. Always water with care, ideally before midday, and avoid splashing the leaves. Water sparingly – basil hates to sit in wet compost!Expect to pot up your basil a few times in the growing season as plants grow fast in containers.Basil is a half-hardy annual, so new plants will be needed each year.  Harvest Pick the leaves and tops of basil regularly throughout the summer to use fresh. You can be quite ruthless, so long as you leave at least three pairs of side shoots so your plants can regrow. Don’t wash the leaves until you’re ready to use them as they’ll turn slimy. One-pan lemon sole This recipe is from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022, as seen on the Italian Kitchen from Chris Baber.  Serves 4Ingredients2 tbsp olive oil2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced2 red onions, cut into 1cms slices3 peppers, thinly sliced4 tomatoes, quartered10 pitted black olives1 lemon, zested and juiced1 small bunch of basil leaves4 lemon sole fillets250ml white wineolive oil, to servecrusty bread, to servedrizzle of extra virgin MethodHeat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat up the olive oil in a large, non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic for 1 min and add the onions, peppers, tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10-12 mins until the veg begins to soften.Add the lemon zest, half the basil and wine. Bring to the boil, reduce the hear and simmer for 5 mins. Place the fish on top of the veg and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 mins until the fish is cooked.Scatter over your remaining basil leaves and finish with lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices. Find out what's on at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2023 Find out more about the BBC Good Food Show Summer

Celebrate Barnsdale Gardens 40th Anniversary at BBC Gardeners World Live! The Barnsdale Gardens team will be continuing their 40th Anniversary celebrations at BBC Gardeners World Live this summer. The Barnsdale show piece will bring elements of the last 40 years together. Much of the display is still ‘top secret’, however, we can tell you that there will be an area highlighting the ‘Mediterranean Garden’ and ‘Cutting Garden’ from Barnsdale. These will include plants such as Pittosporum, Elymus, Stipa tenuissima, Hylotelephium, Dianella, Rosmarinus, Hebe and Eryngium because of their drought tolerance and suitability as cut flowers. Barnsdale Gardens will also be showcasing cottage garden plants such as roses (including the ‘Geoff Hamilton’), perennial Potentilla, Geum, x Heucherella, Anemanthele, Achillea, Philadelphus, Physocarpus, Stipa gigantea, Alchemilla, Geranium, Lychnis, Spiraea, Nepeta, Helenium and many more!On Saturday 17th June, Nick Hamilton will be presenting on the “Let’s Talk Plants” Stage in the Floral Marquee hosted by David Hurrion.There will also be a signing session by Nick of his book ‘The Right Genes’ on Saturday 17th June. This book tells the tale of growing up as the son of a visionary of sustainable gardening. Geoff Hamilton was a firm believer and pioneer in peat-free and organic gardening, this ethos continues at Barnsdale today. ‘The Right Genes’ is a witty, happy and joyful excursion into the weird and wonderful journey of the Hamilton family. It shows how the lives of a father and son can follow the same pattern and ultimately mirror each other. What's on at BBC Gardeners' World Live Discover what's on in the Floral Marquee

The Landscape Service, Furzey Gardens and Kingston Maurward College scoop top Awards at the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu  BBC TV gardening presenter, Frances Tophill, has presented awards to design teams and horticulture students behind some show-stopping gardens and displays at the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu today.Winner of the Spring Fair’s Best Showcase Garden and a Platinum Award was Nordic Retreat by The Landscape Service, based in Southampton. Designed by Luke Mills, the stylish, minimalist garden is designed to offer a calming space to relax, unwind and rejuvenate, providing temporary respite from the urban environment. It features neutral colours, planting features to create dappled shade, and natural hard landscaping materials.Best Beautiful Border and Platinum Award winner was ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ by Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust who provide training and work experience for people with learning disabilities. The Border was inspired by a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and features plants grown at Furzey Gardens, a stepping stone path, and a grand chair carved from the trunk of an old Elm tree.The Beautiful Borders competition is a highlight at all BBC Gardeners’ World Events and is designed to provide achievable inspiration for smaller gardens and tricky spaces. Entrants take on the challenge of packing compact 9m2 plots with imaginative planting and creative design features. This year’s theme is ‘My Garden Escape’. Spring Fair award assessors for the Beautiful Borders were Ian Hodgson, editor of Garden News, and acclaimed Hampshire garden designers, Anita Foy from Anita Foy Garden Design, and Richard Barnard from Kings Oak Landscapes.  The Spring Fair’s first ever inter-horticultural college competition was won by students from Kingston Maurward College in Dorset. The college team won Best College Garden and a Platinum Award for A Wardian Garden, a design inspired by the college’s Victorian heritage. Colleges were tasked with designing budget-friendly gardens with a Victorian Garden theme. All the college teams were mentored by award-winning garden designer, Cherry Carmen.Show Assessor Richard Barnard said: “It’s great to have the colleges here at the Spring Fair. The quality of work is excellent and these brilliant students are the future of horticulture.”Reviewing all Award entries at the Spring Fair, BBC TV gardening presenter Frances Tophill, said: “I’m hugely impressed with the talent involved and the hard work that has gone into creating these wonderful gardens and displays, with every award richly deserved. I have no doubt that they will inspire thousands of people over the Spring Fair weekend to try something new or different in their garden, veg patch or window box. Whether you’re new to gardening or a green-fingered expert, it’s a great time of year to make garden plans for the summer ahead. The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair really is the perfect place for ideas to blossom and grow.”  READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE /*! elementor-pro - v3.19.0 - 07-02-2024 */ @charset "UTF-8";.entry-content blockquote.elementor-blockquote:not(.alignright):not(.alignleft),.entry-summary blockquote.elementor-blockquote{margin-right:0;margin-left:0}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;outline:0;font-size:100%;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;quotes:none;border:0;font-style:normal;color:#3f444b}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote 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.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{right:auto;left:-.8em;border-right-color:#1da1f2;border-left-color:transparent}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{left:auto;right:-.8em;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:#1da1f2}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-left-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--skin-boxed .elementor-blockquote{background-color:#f9fafa;padding:30px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-border .elementor-blockquote{border-color:#f9fafa;border-left:7px #f9fafa;border-style:solid;padding-left:20px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote:before{content:"“";font-size:100px;color:#f9fafa;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-weight:900;line-height:1;display:block;height:.6em}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote__content{margin-top:15px}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:left}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:right}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row-reverse}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote{text-align:center}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer,.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__author{display:block}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{margin-right:auto;margin-left:auto} The Nordic Retreat is our first show garden so I couldn’t be happier to have won this award. Inspired by my Nordic heritage, I wanted the garden to have a therapeutic effect, providing calm and respite from busy life. It’s been a real team effort by gardeners, landscapers, suppliers and sponsors, and I’m over the moon. Luke Mills, Director of The Landscape Service We are delighted for all the people that we support that have worked so hard to create this garden. It has created a real sense of purpose and shows what people with learning disabilities can achieve when they have support and encouragement. Andrew Bentley, Estates Manager at Minstead Trust This garden has brought students together from across the college’s horticultural courses. They’ve done the research, sourced materials and built the garden, all with the support of our tutors. It’s just incredible to have won. Alison Firth, a Level 3 Horticulture student and designer at Kingston Maurward College

Find out more about the inspiration behind Sue Kent's Beautiful Border Sue Kent is an award-winning garden designer, TV presenter and RHS disability ambassador. You’ll be able to see her ‘In The Pink’ Beautiful Border at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2023. She first hit our screens in June 2020 as an amateur gardener when she featured on BBC Gardeners’ World, talking about the beautiful garden she has created at home in Swansea over the last 30 years. Sue’s upper body limb disability makes some gardening tasks challenging and she discussed adaptations she has made to make the most of her garden, like using her feet for weeding and planting. Sue’s home video proved such a hit that she is now a regular presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World.Sue has designed a headline Beautiful Border for BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2023. Unique to BBC Gardeners’ Word Live, Beautiful Borders are compact 9m2 spaces, packed with imaginative design features, planting and materials, and provide inspiration for small gardens and challenging spaces.Sue Kent’s Beautiful Border, In The Pink, will be at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC from 15th-18th June 2023.You’ll find a bumper crop of twelve inspiring Beautiful Borders at the Spring Fair this year, all themed ‘My Garden Escape’ Sue, the theme for this year’s Beautiful Borders at BBC Gardeners’ World Live is My Garden Escape. Your design pays tribute to three of your great loves: colour, scent and painting. Can you tell us more about it and about the ways that, for you, a garden is a haven to escape to?Pink is my favourite colour, scented flowers are my joy, and painting flowers is my escape. My Border will encapsulate all three of these things with bright pink flower colour fusing to white pink and many scented blooms. My Border will include glass art and an area for an artist to paint. I hope to include roses, perennials and annuals, possibly some grasses.A flower garden is a gift for the senses and becoming aware of scent, colour, texture and, in some cases, taste of a plant, together with the sound and sight of insect life that plants attract demands the attention and releases the mind. I like to pick flower heads to study and paint in detail. By doing this, I learn more of what their individual beauty can offer to a planting scheme. This creative process is fascinating and absorbing, and before I know it, the stresses of everyday life have disappeared.  Visitors to BBC Gardeners’ World Live come to the show with a keen eye for ideas and inspiration. Which elements of your Garden Escape Border do you think might attract visitors’ attention for their gardens at home? Colour affects our energies and emotions. By keeping to one colour in all its shades, I am creating a space for visitors to absorb and assess how that colour makes them feel. Pink always makes me very happy so if they’re looking for pink plants for a mixed border, my Border will be packed full of inspiring flower form, colour and scent. The Beautiful Borders competition is a great opportunity to gain first-hand experience of building a small show garden. What advice can you give any budding first-time designers out there that might be thinking of giving it a go next year? My advice is to be flexible on your plant choices with options available so that you can get the best plants in on the day. Plan on graph paper and make a sketch or painting for how you want it to look. If you’ve got the space, mock it up, and measure and measure again to get the proportions right. Before planting the border, put your glasses on and pimp your plants! Remember to include transportation and dismantling costs in your budget. For anyone keen to try designing a Beautiful Border, come and talk to me. I’ll be on my Border at various times every day during the show and will be doing a daily talk on the Let’s Talk Plants stage about my Border design and inspiration. You’re a keen veg grower with a strong history of veg growing in your family. What’s the appeal of growing your own food and what’s on the menu for the coming season? I’m an organic grower. I want my food free from pesticides and I want to know how it’s been grown. I also love to eat vegetables and the taste of fresh homegrown vegetables is second to none. As well as the usual suspects this year, I’m growing a lot of beans to dry so that I will have my own pulses through the winter months. I’m also trying hibiscus so that I can make my own hibiscus tea.  As a passionate advocate for inclusion and accessibility in the gardening world, what are some of the changes that you would you like to see in the coming years to broaden access to gardening to people living with disabilities? I am still researching this subject with the RHS but some of my initial thoughts are that I think there should be more journalism opportunities for people with disabilities in the garden publications to write about gardening. What suits them can often make gardening easier for others. At the garden shows, I’d like to see a quiet time set aside for people with physical disabilities, people with autism who don’t like crowds, and importantly, for wheelchair users, so they can get a good view of the gardens. Also trained volunteers to accompany people with visual impairment and provide descriptive input where necessary and the opportunity to touch the exhibits. On a personal level, I would like to work with tool manufacturers to improve designs of some of their tools and to create some new ones.  Find out more about Sue Kent here: www.suekent.com Find out what's on at the BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair Find out more about Sue Kent's My Garden Escape Beautiful Border

An interview with Lucy Hutchings Lucy Hutchings is a couture jewellery designer turned edible garden designer, homesteader and gardening influencer (@shegrowsveg) with a passion for GYO, and designing The Secret Homestead at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Lucy believes that the GYO movement needs a rebrand to encourage the Instagram generation to try their hand at growing their own food, and she’s here to help. With more than 167,000 Instagram followers, a sustainable gardening school, and an exciting edible Show Garden design for BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2023, Lucy’s on a mission to get Great Britain growing. Lucy and her partner, Arctic adventurer and chef Mike Keen, have transformed a tumbledown wooden 1940s house in Suffolk, restoring both the house and its 1.5 acre site into Cedarwood Homestead, an oasis of fruit and veg and a hotbed of culinary experimentation. But don’t mention the Good Life!  Lucy Hutching’s Show Garden, The Secret Homestead, will be at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC from 15th-18th June 2023. Visit the We Grow Stage to see daily talks on all things grow your own. Find out more here. Lucy, the ethos you have created at Cedarwood is a wonderful fusion of you and your partner Mike’s careers in design, food and travel, and the hard graft of being self-sufficient. Will The Secret Homestead be a glimpse into what you’ve created in Suffolk – a mini Cedarwood perhaps? You will definitely see references to Cedarwood in The Secret Homestead garden and that was part of the reason I chose the name, to draw those parallels right from the beginning. Coming from a background in the fashion industry, the aesthetics of edible gardens have always been as important to me as their productivity. I don’t think they have to be purely utilitarian spaces, they can be beautiful, dreamy spaces too. That was the ethos I set out with when designing Cedarwood. Yes, we wanted to become more self-sufficient and live as sustainably as possible, but we also want to create a beautiful environment that we would enjoy spending time in.I approached the design of The Secret Homestead garden with the same goal in mind. I wanted the garden to at first appear purely ornamental, with dramatic black, purple and white foliage and pops of coral orange, hot pink and jet black from flowers and stems. On closer exploration you discover a mix of both conventional and lesser known edible plants proving that this garden does in fact offer an abundance of food as well as a feast for the eyes.  Just as the plants in the borders fulfil a dual purpose, so do the decorative elements of the garden, some of which are recreated exactly from what we built at Cedarwood. I have incorporated a wall sculpture mushroom garden, a mini version of our underground root cellar, complete with door painted by designer Lucy Tiffany, a sculpture come wildlife habitat I will be making myself. I will even be making jewel encrusted mosaic paving tiles inspired by the jewellery I used to create. Every part of the garden is beautiful and every part is useful. To get more people giving home growing a go, you’ve said that you think something has to change. What does next gen GYO look like for you? There has never been a better time for people to embrace growing food. It is real step in the right direction of a more sustainable life, reducing food miles, single use plastics and dependence on intensive farming. It also increases food security in a time of soaring food prices and shop shelves emptied by panic buying. All that before you consider the myriad mental and physical health benefits. Additionally, GYO is arguably the most accessible part of gardening, everyone can get excited about food, therefore everyone has the potential to get excited about growing some of it. GYO tends to be portrayed as having a fairly home spun and traditional image which is a lovely part of British heritage, Dig For Victory, the dungaree wearing allotmenteer, Tom and Barbara’s back garden Good Life. However, there are a huge number of people with whom this traditional vibe simply does not resonate at all.With that in mind, I think it’s time that GYO got a makeover or if not a makeover, at least have an alternative image presented that might appeal to a new audience, one that may not have considered it otherwise, after all only good can come from more people growing plants. If we are going to get more people growing food, we need to find a way to make edible gardens appeal to ornamental gardeners, house plant lovers, those with limited space who don’t want to have to choose between form and function, and let’s not forget the foodies. My aim is to try to break down the divide that so often seems to separate ornamental gardening with food growing and offer an entirely different view of what a food garden might look like. There are so many traditionally ornamental plants that also offer incredible and underutilized food crops as well as myriad highly ornamental forms of more conventional food crops. When you get rid of the idea of rectangular raised beds with rows of perfect cabbages, marrows and leeks, and start approaching edible planting just as you would an ornamental border, you can start to create some really exciting dual-purpose spaces For visitors to BBC Gardeners’ World Live that might be new to GYO, are there elements of The Secret Homestead that would be simple to try at home in the garden or for a small growing patch? I am approaching the creation of this garden in a very different way. I want to take the Gardeners’ World Live audience on this journey with me and show firstly just what goes into creating a beautiful garden for the show but mainly, by sharing this journey with me, I want people to see that it is possible to do a part or all of what I’m doing. I will be growing almost all the plants for the garden myself from seed and am sharing a weekly video diary on Instagram so that people can watch the progress of the plants, following their journey all the way from tiny seed to being planted up at the NEC in June. I will be building the sculptural elements of the garden myself and sharing how you can create something similar. I will even be building the garden myself including everything from laying slabs to planting semi mature trees. Yes it is going to be a huge amount of work, with many highs and lows, but this is what I love doing and I hope that by sharing my journey to BBC Gardeners’ World Live, I will get people just as excited as I am and hopefully give them the confidence to roll up their sleeves and create their own dream food garden. Heirloom veg varieties are one of your great loves, particularly tomatoes. Can you tell us more about the appeal of growing these old-fashioned veg, and will they be a feature of The Secret Homestead at BBC Gardeners’ World Live?As a general rule, if you are growing food, you are primarily doing it for the flavour. We all know nothing quite compares to the taste of a home grown tomato! Heritage crops have been grown for hundreds of years on the basis of how good they taste as opposed to modern hybrids which are generally designed to solve a problem such as disease resistance, early cropping or high yields. Yes, they can taste good but I’m yet to find a hybrid that tastes better than an heirloom variety. Hybrids will always have a place, especially in commercial food production, or for those living in parts of the country that offer a more challenging growing environment or short season. However, for the vast majority of people in the UK, heritage or heirloom varieties will perform equally well and offer advantages over and above their hybrid friends.Self-sufficiency does not just cover food, growing heritage and heirloom plants allows you to save seed. Sadly, you can’t save seed from hybrids (often referred to as F1s), it’s an unstable cross that will not be the same as the plant you saved it from and may grow to be something you really don’t like or does not perform well. Open pollinated heirlooms will grow true to the plant they were saved from. You are then in a situation where you can buy one packet of seed and then never have to buy it again, saving you money. It also presents the opportunity to swap and share with friends and the wider community so that others can grow a plant that you have really loved, and I think that is a really beautiful thing. Each heirloom comes with a history, a story, and when you start to grow one of these varieties you become part of that story. Plus, if we don’t grow these amazing plants, they will become extinct. You don’t generally associate the idea of extinction with the humble vegetable, but it is a real problem since the rise of the hybrid. This is why I have been proud to be an ambassador for the Heritage Seed Library for a number of years now. I want to help as many people as possible fall just as in love with heirloom varieties as I have. You’ll be hosting some fantastic talks from your show garden during BBC Gardeners’ World Live about the joys and the practicalities of growing your own food. You’ll be joined by a gang of gardening influencers that share your passion for GYO. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?I’m so excited about this part of the show and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. There is a whole new generation of gardeners that prefer to learn through knowledge sharing and personal experience on social media rather than traditional gardening book and print media. There is an incredible and very active global community of gardeners online that I feel privileged to be part of, with an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience they are hungry to share. It’s a bit like the world’s biggest gardening group but without the monthly village hall meetings. I’m really excited to be working with BBC Gardeners’ World Live to create this new area for talks right next to my show garden and give this community an in real life place to come together.   We will have a host of fascinating and well-respected people talking about subjects that possibly don’t get addressed as much at gardening shows, but that are hot topics of discussion online. We will be looking at everything from permaculture, mushroom growing and small space garden design, to foraging, no-dig, apothecary gardens and more. I will be hosting the stage and also talking myself so it should be a really exciting area to come, learn something new and chat to like-minded gardeners. In the current challenging economic times with food bills rising, is GYO a money-saver?We live in scary times at the moment, twice in recent history our food security has been threatened, with empty supermarket shelves in the pandemic and now with seemingly ever rising food prices. Growing some of your food can be really empowering and yes it can help to lower those grocery bills. It’s not going to be a complete solution to the problems we are facing but there is always a way to grow some sort of food, whether it be micros greens or window boxes full of salad and herbs. It is realistic, achievable and can be approached cheaply. Anything that people can grow for themselves increases their food security and puts them back in a little bit of control. Additionally, it is a genuine way to make life more sustainable which is another thing we are all looking for at the moment. Really there is no way to lose when embracing food growing, you just need to discover the way that fits best with your life, be realistic and find crops that work best for you. To find out more about Lucy, visit @shegrowsveg on Instagram, or visit www.cedarwoodhomestead.com Find out more about GYO inspiration at the Spring Fair Find out more about The Secret Homestead and the We Grow Stage

Time to sow: Spring Onions! Grow your own spring onions for a quick and easy way to freshen up your home cooking, with tips from our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. Packed with flavour, we’ve got the perfect recipe to use them in, from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022.  This spring, make plans for your plot with spring onions. Perfect for salads, stir fries and much more, spring onions are an easy to grow, delicious crop to get growing, that take up a small space. Read below for garden know-how from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. What’s more, find out more about a tasty casarecce pasta with tomato sauce recipe, using your spring onions, from the BBC Good Food Show Summer in 2022. Sowing peas Sow your seeds straight into the ground in place that gets lots of sun and rich, well-drained soil. Clear any weeds, add a good fertiliser in advance. Before sowing, rake the soil to a fine texture.Seeds can be sown in drills 20mm deep and 10cm apart.You can also sow the seeds in trays and wait for seedlings to develop before planting out into the garden. When the seedlings begin to show, thin them out up to 5cm apart. Make sure they’re well-watered and don’t let the soil dry out. For harvests of spring onions through the year, sow a batch of seeds every few weeks from spring to autumn. Harvesting and storage You should be ready to harvest your spring onions eight weeks after sowing. Before pulling up the bulbs, fork the soil around the plants to ease up the soil.Once picked, eat your spring onions soon after being harvested for the best flavour. Casarecce pasta with tomato sauce recipe This recipe is from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022, as seen on the Italian Kitchen from Adam Bush, with a recipe from Olive Magazine. This recipe is vegan, and only takes 15 minutes to make. Serves 2Ingredients250g cherry tomatoes, halved3 spring onions, finely chopped4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil3 tbsp red wine vinegar4-5 dashes hot sauce200g casareccea few basil leaves, torn MethodMix together the cherry tomatoes, spring onions, olive oil, vinegar and hot sauce in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.Bring to the boil a large pan of salted water. Once boiling, add the casarecce and cook until al dente. Add 1-2 tbsp of the cooking water to your bowl of mixed ingredients before draining the pasta.Drain the pasta and toss in with the sauce. Sprinkle over the torn basil and serve. Find out what's on at BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair this April See who's on when at the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine stage

Grow your own peas and tuck into a delicious lasagne You’ll never go back to frozen peas! Try growing flavoursome home-grown peas to freshen up your recipes. Our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine are on hand with growing tips, and you won’t want to miss a delicious lasagne recipe for your peas from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022. Peas are a a great staple to add to your vegetable plot. Used in a great many recipes, you’ll be able to elevate your cooking with peas that pack a punch in flavour. Read below for garden know-how from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. Plus, a broken lasagne recipe using courgette, peas and mint from the BBC Good Food Show Summer in 2022. Sowing peas Between March and early June you can sow peas in a sunny, well-drained spot. Use plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure to improve the soil.Make a shallow trench using a hoe or spade, 22cm wide and 3cm deep. Sow the peas in two parallel lines, with seeds about 10cm apart.Next, cover the seeds with soil and water well. The seedlings should appear in one or two weeks. Planting out peas When planting out peas, put supports in place while they’re still young, for the pea shoots to wrap themselves aroungLarge twigs, known as pea sticks, can be used, or a row of netting. Harvesting and storage Harvest about three months after sowing. For the best flavour, pick and use straight away. You can keep peas for a week in the fridge, or if you have space, put in your freezer to keep for longer. Broken lasagne with courgette, pea and mint This recipe is from the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2022, as seen on the Italian Kitchen from Samuel Goldsmith, Food Copy Editor, BBC Good Food Magazine. Serves 4Ingredients240g dried lasagne sheets, broken into large pieces200g mangetout120g garden peas2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp1 courgette, sliced in half lengthways and cut into 1cm half moons1/4 tsp chilli flakes1 lemon, zested and juiced50g parmesan, grated plus extra to serve15g butter10g fresh mint, roughly chopped MethodBoil a a large pan of salted water, add the broken lasagne sheets and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until al dente. Add the mangetout and peas for the lasting 2 minutes and drain. Keep around 200ml of the pasta water.Next, place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, the courgettes, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and softened. Then, add chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute.In a large bowl, mix the lemon zest and juice, parmesan, butter and remaining olive oil. Season with black pepper. Add the pasta, mangetout, peas and courgettes to the bowl, with 100ml of the pasta water and toss. Add more pasta water if the mixture looks dry. The butter and parmesan should melt into a silky sauce, coating the pasta.Stir in the mint and then serve up in four bowls, with a sprinkle of parmesan.  Find out what's on at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2023 Find out more about the BBC Good Food Show Summer