Our Plant Stories

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Our Plant Stories

A podcast that digs into the stories that plants tell us about people and places.

12/06/2026

Cooking supper this evening, with Olivia Dean playing in the background, I was reminded of something liz elton said about her compost bin. It reminded her of meals made and shared.

Tonight a plant story about compost met a plant story about radishes!

The compost caddy is a reminder of an episode made with Kathy Slack🥬Food Writer & Veg Grower discussing how gardening and for Kathy growing things she could eat like radishes, was balm in some tough times.

For some reason we also pondered - if you could come back as a vegetable what vegetable would it be? Kathy felt to come back as a radish would be too fleeting - but maybe a broad bean with that cosy jacket!

So this evenings compost bin represents a delicious meal featuring both radishes and broad beans:
Roast Radish and Halloumi Traybake - a recipe from Kathy’s latest post on her Substack - Tales from the Veg Patch.

I wonder if others see compost_tales in their food caddies?

08/06/2026

I’m beginning to understand why they call it ‘black gold’…these beautiful photographs are from

I do love looking at the mix in people’s compost bins. It’s like a little window into their lives - or at least what they put on their plates.

I have begun saying “compost” - often to complete strangers and I’ve found myself having fascinating conversations with very passionate composting folk.

Try it!

And do share the results with because we would love to fill with pictures of …our/your/their compost!

And who knew there would be a song - Funky in da Compost 🤣

07/06/2026

Yesterday was beautiful, spent at the members day organised by
Thanks to the generosity of we were able to enjoy the gardens and then gather to hear and talk about plants.
Meeting members from all over the country is always a joy. I love watching members swap plants in the annual plant exchange …I have some requests from members in my boot to take to their new owners!

These events take such a lot of work to organise but thank you for bringing so many plants and people together

05/06/2026

It’s in preparation for a talk and recording at the Community Open Week at Kew later this month.
More info will follow - but what a treat to spend time with such knowledgeable and friendly people, surrounded by plants.

25/05/2026

This is my friend Mel’s composting system - no need for large bins or heaps, she uses buckets. She advises me it works best, if chopped up small and weighted down.

She describes it as ‘Walthamstow’s finest’.

The music - ‘It’s delicious’ seemed appropriate…at least if you are a worm!

This week I am going to share a compost post everyday, some are from friends and family, some are from gardeners and plant lovers who have shared their stories on the podcast.

I am going to tag a new account called which has come about as a result of a recent episode I recorded with and

They were discussing their passion, as an artist and a gardener, for compost. You can hear it on the website in bio or all podcast apps.

And we’d love you to share your compost photos and tales too, tagging

24/05/2026

At Chelsea last week I found myself introducing friends in a rather unusual way. “Radish lady meet passionflower lady meet silver birch man”!

Kathy was cooking on a garden, Bridget was volunteering on the Kings Garden, and Ashley was working there.

I loved seeing display bought over from Guernsey. I spotted who I guess I would have introduced as ‘compost lady’!

There are new friends - Sally, Kate and Will, and Alice and Gavin who in future I may introduce as ‘the chair farmers’!

Then there were the plants - peonies, hostas, thalictrums and daffodils…

All these people and plants have shared their stories over the past 4 series.

When you grow a podcast one episode at a time you don’t notice how many leaves it has grown.

When I look around the show I realise how many plant stories are still to be told.

21/05/2026

Last night we got our first look at the new exhibition. It’s free and it’s running for the next 10 weeks.

Take the Trespass Trail around the Museum and its garden…co-founded by Jess and Matt Turtle, exploring the story of how homelessness has been criminalised over the past 400 years.

It’s an amazing exhibition and an untold story of homelessness, resistance and survival - in a museum and by a community that is very special and unique.

Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 12.30 - 16.30

19/05/2026

Back in January when I was making the podcast for I asked Alice of who she would like to sit on the on the chair, that she and Gavin had grown.
So what joy when this moment happened with Dame Judy Dench - proof that dreams do come true.

Recording with has also been a joy, they are hugely talented, creative and brilliant team players.

They said that during the whole build they had never once sat on the chair! So yesterday was that moment - a chance to sit and really see, not only the beautiful garden with the story it tells but the smiles on all the people, seeing it for the first time.

Our Plant Stories podcast has followed the journey of this garden in 4 special episodes. On the website and all podcast apps.

Do watch out for the Missing Collector Garden on the television coverage and as you admire Verbascum ‘Clementine’ know that there is no National Collection of Verbascum ….could you be the missing collector?

That is the story of this special garden with thanks to .giving.back who made it possible and for the brillant support of .foundation

18/02/2025

Just been to the Museum of Homelessness garden where they are planting snowdrops today. This is such a special garden where we learn together, aided today by Sean from the Inner Temple garden.
Snowdrops seem such symbols of hope at the end of winter.
Here’s the finished episode on snowdrops with the very knowledgeable and passionate galanthophile Emma Thick at Thenford Arboretum.

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1211760a-6f0a-4142-b5d6-872e32dab463/

15/02/2025

Yesterday I learned so much from Emma Thick at Thenford about snowdrops. Offshoot episode coming soon with lots of info and tips about these gorgeous flowers. If you ‘Follow’ the podcast it will automatically get downloaded for you when I publish it.

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http://www.ourplantstories.com/

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