Growing Together gardening community & magazine podcast
Nurturing, supporting and celebrating the vibrant gardening community as we grow together
The Gardening Community
At the heart of Growing Together is the gardening community.
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Like you, we are gardeners, enjoying the great outdoors and all it can offer. We're also learning and growing as we go on our gardening journeys with you.
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A big part of that is bringing the gardening communities together to share growing advice and stories, offer support and celebrate gardening.
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Find out more about our local Seed Swap, the Growing Together workshops and other gardening events throughout the year in our twice monthly newsletters.
The Gardening Podcast
The Growing Together magazine podcast offers gardening advice and features expert interviews, hosted by Claire Vennis and Steve Amos.
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Recorded at the Adhurst Estate Allotments in Hampshire, this busy allotment space has 120 plots, a thriving orchard, a welcoming community garden and a newly planted Miyawake forest, planted with the Hampshire Forest Partnership and Tree Council.
There's always something going on and someone to talk to and Claire and Steve are joined every podcast by two horticultural experts.
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Throughout the year, Claire and Steve also visit many of the national gardening shows to speak to experts and showcase what's new and exciting in the gardening world in special editions of the podcast.
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The Growing Together podcast is produced by Petersfield's Shine Radio.
In The Garden This Month
There is plenty of gardening inspiration for mid-February and we bring fantastic news that the Growing Together podcast has recently been listed 15th in the 20 Best UK Gardening Podcasts worth listening to in 2024! Thank you for listening and growing together with us.
We also sadly have to say a goodbye. Claire is moving on from the podcast. Having started Growing Together in September 2020 with award-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell and continued with Steve since January 2021, Growing Together has grown and brought the gardening community together with gardening advice, tips and chat over the many episodes. Claire leaves the podcast in the capable (and slightly muddy hands) of Steve and we look forward to it's continued success.
The photo at the top right was taken at Sandhill Farm House in West Sussex, the home of Rosemary Alexander (founder of The English Gardening School). Her garden is one of many private gardens opening now for the National Garden Scheme. Pick up a yellow book to find gardens near you. There is a small entry fee, which goes to charity, and there's always cake too!
It's not long until the Petersfield Seed Swap! We're getting very excited about this year's event, which is bigger and better than last year's inaugural one. For more details go to www.growingtogether-pod.com.
We look forward to seeing you on March 9th.
About Us
Claire Vennis is an amateur gardener who loves being outside, getting muddy in the garden and pottering in her greenhouse. 10 years ago, she dug up the turf in her front garden and converted the space into a potager - and hasn't looked back!
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Constantly learning about gardening and loving being immersed in nature, Claire started the Growing Together podcast in September 2020 with award-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell.
With Steve taking over from Ann-Marie in January 2021, Growing Together is now a magazine podcast recorded at Steve's allotment plot.
Steve Amos is the chairman of the Adhurst Allotment and was recently appointed Vice-President of the Petersfield in Bloom growing competition.
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Growing up in Wales on a small-holding, gardening is in Steve's blood, and he now thrives in growing flowers and vegetables for showing; particularly his much-loved dahlias.
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Steve also writes a bi-monthly gardening column in the Petersfield Post newspaper. He joined Growing Together in January 2021.
Growing Together - gardening magazine podcast
Mid-February 2024: a market garden, herb inspiration and a goodbye
On a rainy February morning, Claire and Steve are alone at the soggy Adhurst Estate Allotments sheltering in Steve's 'Chairman's Lodge' - a make-shift lean-to! They discuss the importance of green spaces for good mental health, potato and dahlia tubers and how much they are looking forward to Spring.
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Joining them is Kate Forrester from Four Acre Farm in the New Forest who talks about her journey to start a market garden from a tired piece of land and Head Gardener Ben Pope is preparing for the seed-sowing frenzy coming soon.
Claire is moving on from Growing Together and leaves the podcast in the capable, and sometimes muddy, hands of Steve.
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Growing Together is sponsored by De Mellow and Co - financial advice for you, your family and your future.
Events
Growing Together supports a number of local gardening events including hosting the Petersfield Seed Swap, which takes place every March. See below for more details about the Seed Swap, including the free workshops.
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In 2023, Growing Together was involved with Petersfield in Bloom, The Petersfield Pumpkin Growers' Association and the Spring Festival with a gardening community display in an Alitex greenhouse.
You can hear all about the recent Petersfield Tree Festival in the early December 2023 podcast.
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Please contact us if you have an event you would like to discuss with us.
The Petersfield Seed Swap, Saturday March 9th, 10am-2pm
Now in its second year, the Petersfield Seed Swap has grown into a much-anticipated community event.
Whether to grow flowers for a cutting garden, venture into the benefits of home-grown vegetables, enjoy nurturing herbs and sampling salad or a combination of all growing possibilities, the Seed Swap provides the opportunity to swap a variety of seeds, try something new for the coming growing year, meet fellow gardeners in a central location and gain advice from local gardening organisations.
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With the swap taking place in March, there may also be seedlings and plants available to exchange too. Surplus cabbage seedlings, too many burgeoning sweet peas, pots of strawberry plants going spare - bring them along and share the growing love!
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Organised by the Growing Together gardening podcast along with Petersfield’s Shine Radio, the Petersfield Seed Swap is supported by East Hampshire District Council’s Grow Up programme, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Petersfield Men’s Shed are making wooden boxes for the seed packets, a group of local scouts are taking care of refreshments on the day to raise funds for a school trip, there will be a 'Seed Sowing Corner' for younger growers and expert horticulturists are hosting specialist workshops.
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We look forward to seeing you there!
Workshops
The workshops are new to the Petersfield Seed Swap this year and are free to attend.
10:30-10:50 - Start Your Cut Flower Garden with Helier Bowling
Helier will show how to begin your cut flower garden journey with great ideas for flowers to sow this Spring.
Helier runs Sows and Grows cut flower sowing courses with Sophie van Gerwen. She is a garden designer with a Garden Design Diploma from KLC and won 5 stars at Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in 2022 with her cut flower garden at the Alitex show garden. Find and follow her on instagram @garden_goddess_uk
11:30-11:50 - Plan Your Vegetable Plot for the Year Ahead with Steve Amos
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With a new growing season full of exciting possibilities, Steve will help you organise and plan for the growing year ahead. With advice for choosing vegetable varieties for a good crop and when and where to sow, you may also get a short masterclass on growing vegetable for the show bench too!
Steve is the Chairman of the Adhurst Estate Allotments and has won many awards at local gardening and flower shows for his vegetables and dahlias. He also presents the Growing Together podcastwith Claire.
The Growing Together Gallery
