Episode 311: Radical Rest
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
What if rest could be a radical act of resistance? In this episode, I talk with Evie Muir, author of Radical Rest, who challenges the myth that burnout can be cured by self-care alone. Evie offers a bold vision of rest as a communal, transformative practice grounded in Black Feminist and abolitionist thought. Tune in to explore how rest and time in nature can lead us from exhaustion and grief toward joy and resilience—and what it takes to build a world where we can all thrive. About ‘Radical Rest: Notes on Burnout, Healing and Hopeful Futures’ We’re burnt out—drained, anxious,...
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Episode 310: Designer Food Garden
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Christian Douglas is redefining vegetable gardening with a focus on style and functionality. Drawing on examples from urban and rural gardens, including his own garden in Marin County, he offers practical advice on growing a variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Christian talks about how to assess lighting and soil, pick plants suited to the climate, and discover creative edible alternatives to traditional landscape plants. Looking at spaces from small city gardens to large rural plots, and even a rooftop space, his new book 'Food Forward Garden Design' offers guidance on how to create a...
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Episode 309: The Seed Hunter
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Mitch McCulloch is redefining how we grow and cook with plants. He’s is a former chef, turned seed hunter and gardener, who applies his culinary knowledge when choosing and cooking with the produce he grows. Not only does he select the most diverse and interesting varieties, he gets creative with how he serves up his produce. His new book The Seed Hunter is properly inspiring if you’re both a cook and grower and you want to get the absolute most out of your edible plants. About Mitch McCulloch Author, seed hunter, and gardener with a passion for promoting and preserving rare heirloom...
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Episode 308: Gardening for Recovery
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Andy Mitchell believes gardening has the power to be a uniquely beneficial arena for the addiction recovery journey. In this interview, we discover why he feels this is the case and why we have much more to learn about this particular aspect of horticulture. Andy is Professional Addiction Recovery Coach and has conducted research into gardening as a tool to help people overcome addictions. Alongside having lived experience, Andy has extensive professional training within the field of Addiction. About Andy Mitchell Andy Mitchell is a Social and Therapeutic Horticulturalist (STH) and addiction...
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Episode 307: Trees and Humans: Intertwined
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
If you’ve ever been even a little curious about the magic of trees, you won’t want to miss this conversation with the ultimate tree expert, Tony Kirkham. We’re diving into Tree: Exploring the Arboreal World—a seriously stunning collection of art, history, and culture, centred around the human-tree connection. This book documents the historical significance of trees throughout human history, society and culture. This really is the coffee table book to end all coffee table books for anyone with even so much as a passing interest in trees. About Tree: Exploring the Arboreal World...
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Episode 306: The Soil Habitat
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Want to know what the soil food web is, what inhabits the soil habitat, why soil health impacts on plant health and ultimately our health and what you can do to get the best out of your garden? Eddie Bailey is a geologist, organic no-dig gardener, and soil food web specialist who runs Rhizophyllia. Eddie is passionate about soil health and growing healthy plants that are good for you and good for the planet. About Eddie Bailey Eddie Bailey is a geologist, organic no-dig gardener, and soil food web specialist who runs soil health workshops through his company . Links Other episodes if...
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Episode 305: Building on Nature
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
What feature does a wildlife supporting landscaper refuse to install in a garden? What is the most beneficial addition for wildlife? And how can hard landscaping be compatible with wildlife and nature? This week my guest is former ecologist and founder of NatureScaping, Nick Townsend, who sheds light on building greener gardens. Nick uses his knowledge of ecology and the environment in his landscaping business in order to make better gardens and outdoor spaces for wildlife. About Nick Townsend Nick holds a masters in Environmental Management and is a former ecologist. After working with...
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Episode 304: One Garden Changing the World
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Hello and welcome to this week’s episode which features garden writer , broadcaster and returning guest Kate Bradbury. Kate has a new book out One Garden Against the World: In Search of Hope in a Changing Climate. It’s been a while since we last spoke about Kate’s garden and with the opportune timing around the release of the book, I thought it would be the ideal time to catch up on what’s changed for Kate, her garden and nature in general since 2019. Links Other episodes if you liked this one: If you liked this week's episode with Kate Bradbury, you might also enjoy this one...
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Episode 303: Slugs and Snails
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Think you know what slugs eat? And what eats slugs? You might be surprised...This episode my guest is retired academic and lifelong gardener Jo Kirby. Jo has written The Good Slug Guide, the first-ever book on slugs and snails that explains why the usual controls often don`t work, what slugs and snails really get up to, what they really eat and – importantly – what eats them. About the Good Slug Guide The Good Slug Guide is full of simple, practical advice on how to encourage your new-found friends and transform your garden into a beautiful, leafy and above all slug-resilient haven. It...
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Episode 302: Green at Heart
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
The episodes generating the most feedback recently have been those featuring other gardeners and business owners who are trying to run green businesses, so I called on former guest and supporter of the podcast, Dave Woolmer. Dave changed career from law to gardening and has been forging ahead creating a business based on sound principles and horticultural excellence. Links Safe Opportunities are at Disability Confident Employment registration is at And Green Heart is at Other episodes if you liked this one: If you liked this week's episode with Dave Woolmer, you might also...
info_outlineMy guest this episode is gardener and activist Ed Allnutt. Ed is part of Plastics Rebellion and the @plasticscrisis Instagram account and campaigns to reduce the use of plastics, particularly in a gardening context. We talk about the most common offending items in the gardening world and discuss possible solutions to the current accepted ways of gardening so we can make changes that better the environment.
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Other episodes if you liked this one:
If you liked this week's episode with the Ed Allnutt, you might also enjoy this one from the archives:
Waterwise Gardening - I’m talking water-wise gardening with Janet Manning. Janet undertook a three year project with the RHS and Cranfield University where she looked at strategies and techniques currently available to gardeners to help them both conserve and manage water in a way that reduces waste and protects the environment. We talk about why there’s a need to be water-wise in wet countries like the UK, what we can do to help and why gardens are an important part of the bigger environmental picture.
Running a Green Nursery - This week I’m speaking to Chris Williams, co-founder of Edibleculture, an inspirational nursery based in Faversham in Kent. From the day the nursery was established 5 years ago, ethically and ecologically sounds principles have been employed to create the brilliant business that exists today. We talk about how the nursery succeeds where so many others are failing to make changes; using peat-free compost, gardening organically without chemicals, eliminating single use plastics from their sales output and many other initiatives that make this nursery truly revolutionary.