BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Sowalong Podcast

From Monty’s favourite flower and the unusual veg variety Marcus Wareing swears by in the kitchen, to the team’s much-loved blooms, herbs and grow-your-own veg plot staples, our Sowalong Podcast is crammed with everything you need to get started today.

Expect plenty of advice on successful germination, healthy crops and impressive blooms. Plus, we delve into the stories behind each guests’ seed-discovery, including where they grow it, how they like to use it, eat it and their save seed tips, too.

Subscribe now to never miss an episode - new episodes released every Tuesday.

More on seed sowing:

• Your seed sowing year
• Simple guide to sowing different types of seed
• Eight of the best dibbers
• Essential kit for seed sowing

Episode twenty-one – Rocket with Adam Frost

Gardeners’ World presenter, Adam Frost, shares his love of growing rocket from seed. Discover how Adam first discovered this peppery herb, along with his expert advice on how and when to sow it for best results. Adam also reveals how he likes to use rocket with ‘almost everything’ when it comes to harvesting for the kitchen.

Episode twenty – Angelica with Jekka McVicar

Herb farmer Jekka McVicar, shares her love of growing angelica from seed. Jekka shares her advice on ‘tricking’ germination, plus how to use the young leaves in salads, candy the stems and turn it into a delicious marmalade.

Episode nineteen – Parsley with Emma Crawforth

BBC Gardeners’ World magazine Gardening Editor, Emma Crawforth, shares why she likes to grow parsley from seed. One sowing of this tasty herb can produce pickings for up to a year, and here Emma explains her tricks for a great crop packed with fresh leaves and flavour.

Episode eighteen – Basil with Jekka McVicar

This time on Sowalong, herb farmer Jekka McVicar, shares her love of raising basil from seed. Jekka’s favourite pick for flavour, here she explains all the tips and tricks for a great crop and rounds up her top basil varieties too.

Episode seventeen – Valerian with Jack Wallington

Landscape garden designer and writer Jack Wallington shares his passion for growing valerian. This perennial wildflower loves part-shady, woodland spots and is easy to grow from seed once you know how. With tall spikes and a cloud of white flowers on top, Jack talks you through his tips for autumn sowing, how he likes to use it in his schemes and the wildlife it attracts to the garden too.

Episode sixteen – Cornflower with Frances Tophill

Gardeners’ World presenter and seed sowing expert Frances Tophill shares her love of cornflowers. Frances talks you through sowing and growing this cheery, pollinator-friendly annual.

Episode fifteen – Nasturtium with Prue Leith

Chef, passionate gardener and popular Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith reveals her love for nasturtium – as not just a beautiful flower but an edible one, too. Discover delicious ways to use not just the flowers but also the seed pods in fresh summer salads – plus what other edible flowers are on Prue’s menus.

Episode fourteen – Courgette with Oliver Parsons

Oliver Parsons, sub-editor of Gardeners’ World Magazine, harks back to his childhood with a lifelong love of courgettes, sparked by his Mum’s love of French cooking. Discover from Oliver the fundamentals of growing courgettes from seed, a hungry plant that demands rich soil and warm conditions to really thrive. There’s always the promise of a glut with courgettes, so he shares his favourite ways you could enjoy your harvest, for months of meals the family will love.

Episode thirteen – Cosmos with Prue Leith

Chef, gardener and formidable Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith reveals her love for cosmos, a favourite flower in her Cotswolds garden. She shares her earliest memories of cosmos, dating back to her South African childhood when it was a plant her mother knew and grew.

Prue continues to grow it for the colours it offers, from rich purples for a richly hued flower arrangement, to cool whites that she uses in a refreshing blue and white container display on her sun-drenched balcony. For brightening a border, packing out pots or using as a cut flower, this versatile plant is Prue’s go-to flower from seed.

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Episode twelve – Purple sprouting broccoli with Jack Wallington

Today on Sowalong, designer, writer and gardener Jack Wallington shares his favourite veg to grow from seed – purple-sprouting broccoli. He has tips on how to get the most from this early and easy spring crop, that requires little attention once it’s in the ground and growing away. Producing heads for harvesting in the spring months known as ‘the hungry gap’, it’s a delicious and valuable addition to every veg plot, says Jack.

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Episode eleven – Sweetcorn with Frances Tophill

Today on Sowalong, Gardeners’ World presenter and seed sowing expert Frances Tophill guides you through growing sweetcorn from seed. She shares her tips for sowing and planting out, plus how to store seeds for winter. Frances has loved sweetcorn ever since she was a kid, enjoying using 1970’s prong forks to eat boiled corn on the cob with melted butter. First growing it as an apprentice gardener, she discusses why it’s a favourite for its sensory benefits too – a plant which rushes and whispers to her in the wind.

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Episode ten – Elephant garlic with Marcus Wareing

In this week’s Sowalong, world-renowned chef and convert to growing his own food, Marcus Wareing, tells us all about his passion for elephant garlic. He first discovered it when his gardener Anatoli introduced it into his kitchen garden and now considers the mild garlic-meets-onion flavour a delicacy and go-to in his dishes. Marcus shares why he thinks it’s an ‘absolute delight’ and why we should all try growing a little bit of it in our gardens.

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Episode nine – Tomatoes with Adam Duxbury

Today on Sowalong, we’re celebrating the delights of growing tomatoes from seed. BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine’s Features Editor Adam Duxbury, tells us why tomatoes are a brilliant way in for those new to growing food at home.

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Episode eight - Sunflowers with Lily Middleton

This time on Sowalong, BBC GardenersWorld.com’s Content Creator Lily Middleton shares why growing sunflowers from seed, on a balcony in West London, brings her so much joy.

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Episode seven – Fennel with Monty Don

Today on Sowalong, BBC Gardeners’ World’s Monty Don shares his favourite vegetable to grow from seed – Florence fennel. Bringing you his best advice and know-how, Monty makes mastering this tricky-to-grow, tasty veg bed addition, a breeze.

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Episode six - Ricinus with Kevin Smith

This week on Sowalong, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine’s Deputy Editor, Kevin Smith, shares his much-loved ritual of sowing ricinus. With striking, architectural foliage and tropical jungle appeal, ricinus suits Kevin’s planting style perfectly and he tells us why he sows this seed every year without fail.

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Episode five - Kale with Lucy Felton

With lush, dramatic dark green leaves delivering a plentiful harvest, the compact nature of kale 'Black Magic' makes it suitable for containers and ideal for squeezing into edges of beds. Lucy Felton, BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Content Creator, shares why it's one of her go-to crops to start from seed.

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Episode four - Zinnia with Kay Maguire

In a frilly mix of pinks, yellows, oranges and reds, Kay Maguire, Reviews Editor at BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, talks you through planting zinnias. They’re brilliant border fillers or a great addition to containers. Plus, with vivid colours that instantly lift a room, zinnias make great cut flowers for the vase. Find out Kay's top tips for growing zinnias.

• 10 colourful zinnias to grow

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Episode three - Nigella damascena with Emma Crawforth

A hardy annual with beautiful, upright flowers and a wave of feathery foliage, here, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine Gardening Editor, Emma Crawforth, walks you through her love of Nigella damascena (aka love-in-a-mist). She explains how to use it in a flower border to fill gaps and why it’s perfect for the vase, plus shares some of her favourite varieties.

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Episode two - Salad leaves with Kevin Smith

From speedy mixes and little gem lettuces to mustards and pak choi, this low-fuss lunchbox and dinner table staple will quickly reward you with a delicious crop, filled with variety. Kevin Smith, Deputy Editor at BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, is here to convince you to add salad leaves to your line-up of homegrown edibles.

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Episode one - Tithonia with Monty Don

Step inside the Gardeners’ World presenter’s seed library, as he shares his passion for Tithonia flowers, and how to grow them from seed. Monty is here with heaps of advice, to ensure healthy plants and a bounty of blooms, every time.

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Catch up on the first three series of the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Podcast:

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