It was a chilly morning recording the first Growing Together podcast of the year. Meeting as usual at the Adhurst Estate Allotment, Claire and Steve were bundled up in layers, armed with hot drinks and even a hot water bottle! 

With plans to ease slowly into the growing year, they share advice for sowing sweet peas, germinating onion seeds, how to chit potatoes and propagator excitement.

If you're desperate to see spring colour, Mark Porter, trustee of the National Garden Scheme, reassures that gardens are opening very soon for viewing snowdrop and spring bulbs.  Plus there's the enticing promise of cake - and it may surprise you to find out what variety of cake is a NGS favourite. 

Head Gardener Ben Pope returns with The Working Garden Diary for January with advice to 'garden by the seasons'.  In this episode, Ben has plans to try something new this year, greenhouse inspiration, how to prune and why you should be eating sprouts now.  

Listen to a new episode of Growing Together at the beginning and middle of the month.