From The Archives: Seasons Greetings

From The Archives: Seasons Greetings

Author: BBC Radio 4 December 26, 2025 Duration: 42:36

How do you remove mistletoe? How can you protect plants from frost damage? And why do brassicas develop clubbed roots?

Kathy Clugston delves into the Gardeners’ Question Time archives to uncover timeless festive gardening wisdom.

Drawing on decades of horticultural expertise, GQT panellists and chairs — past and present — share trusted, practical advice for every green-fingered dilemma. From tackling mistletoe to safeguarding plants against winter cold, their knowledge is as enduring and deep-rooted as the gardens they tend.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


For decades, Gardeners' Question Time has been a trusted companion for anyone with a patch of earth, a windowsill pot, or simply a curiosity about the natural world. Produced by BBC Radio 4, this enduring podcast brings together a rotating panel of seasoned horticulturalists, each with their own specialties and practical wisdom. The format is beautifully simple yet endlessly varied: a live audience, gathered in a different village hall, community garden, or nursery somewhere across the country each week, poses their real-life gardening dilemmas. What you’ll hear are unscripted, thoughtful, and often wonderfully anecdotal answers that tackle everything from stubborn lawn weeds and pruning perplexities to coaxing a better tomato harvest. The changing location means the advice is grounded in specific climates and conditions, offering relatable insights whether you're dealing with coastal winds, heavy clay, or a tiny urban balcony. It’s the conversational tone and the collective knowledge of the experts that makes this podcast feel like a friendly, invaluable chat with a knowledgeable neighbor. You get the sense of a shared gardening community, with all its trials, successes, and seasonal rhythms. Listening feels less like receiving a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a fascinating, problem-solving conversation that has been honed over seventy years on the air. The questions from the audience are always genuine, often urgent, and the answers are delivered with a blend of science, hands-on experience, and good humor. It is a direct line to practical help and inspiration for your own garden, whatever its size or style.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 82

Gardeners' Question Time
Podcast Episodes
Herstmonceux Castle: Postbag Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:04
Peter Gibbs and the team are at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex. Juliet Sargeant, Matt Biggs and Matthew Pottage are this weeks' panellists, ready to answer your gardening questions.Led by Herstmonceux's head gardener G…