Paul Peacock

Paul Peacock, horticulturalist and broadcaster,  will be signing copies of his new book, the Haynes Allotment Manual at the show. According to the latest statistics allotment gardening has never been more popular.   Waiting lists jumped by 20% last year and there are now around 90,000 people waiting an average of three years for a plot.  If you are languishing on the waiting lists then the Haynes Allotment Manual can help. Paul Peacock, horticultural writer and regular on Gardener’s Question Time, has condensed his extensive allotment expertise into this complete guide that starts with some tips on how to  get your hands on one. Whereas most allotment books are just concerned with growing advice, the Haynes Allotment Manual also gives in… Read More

Why I am going to the show – why are you going? From Paul Peacock If I wasn’t heavily involved in the Edible Garden Show, you can bet I would be the first in the queue waiting to get to all the goodies and good life treats inside.  So what am I looking for at the show? Sausage skins I desperately need to stock up on sausage skins and some of Weschenfelder’s Gold Award sausage seasoning. It is the best ‘everyday’ sausage seasoning I have ever used. Yes, of course, I have many recipes for sausages from scratch, but it’s good to make some of the pre mixed ones and freeze them. You get butcher’s best sausages for a fraction… Read More

It’s just over a month to the show and there is lots to do in the garden. More importantly, there is lots to plan. An old Hebrew proverb says “ When God was making the garden of Eden, he started with a plan!” Good advice. At the show this year there are lots of exhibits and events to help these plans come into fruition. First of all there are seeds! It was a canny step, putting the show in the very early Spring, because it is just the time to start things off! At the show you will find lots of seed companies to talk to – especially when it comes to growing produce and varieties not known to you…. Read More

Don’t let anyone tell you not to grow potatoes – especially main crop potatoes! There is a trend, these days, and a little thought out one at that. The theory goes like this – potatoes are cheap in the shops, and therefore there is no real reason to buy them. People say, “Grow something else instead.” Try sweet potatoes instead” – a good idea too, growing sweet potatoes, but not at the expense of good old fashioned ‘King Edwards’ and a good few rows of ‘Home Guard’. So, why is not growing main crop potatoes a bad idea? First of all the taste The best reason of them all! You simply cannot buy main crop potatoes from the supermarkets that… Read More

At The Edible Garden Show in March 2012, the NSALG (the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners) will be exhibiting, to give you the run down about getting an allotment. You can join in to the nation’s fastest growing movement – allotmenting, and great fun it can be too. During the Second World War there were five million of them, so many falling into disrepair and neglect once people decided they would prefer to forget the austere years of the war. Allotments are experiencing a comeback in a big way! Most societies have a waiting list and you are likely to have to wait for several months, if not years, before you get your plot – such is the… Read More

The Edible Garden Show has a fantastic line up of resident gardening experts – providing tried and tested advice and tips for you to get growing your own produce and ensure you get the best from your harvest. Our experts, James Wong, Pippa Greenwood, Rachel Green and Paul Peacock, will be keeping our website updated in the run up to the show in 2012, with recipes, tips and advice on gardening.