#638 2025 Wrapped – A Year in the Kitchen Garden and Allotment

This week’s episode is the final Veg Grower Podcast of 2025, and I wanted to take a step back and reflect on what has been a huge year here in the kitchen garden and down on the allotment.



From new systems and new beds, to challenges with drought, job changes, and the reminder of just how powerful growing food can be for our mental health, this episode is very much about looking at what worked, what didn’t, and what I’ve learned along the way.







Kitchen Garden Update



2025 has been a brilliant year for the kitchen garden. Being able to step straight outside and spend even a few minutes tidying, mulching or weeding has made a massive difference, especially during busy periods.



One of the biggest upgrades this year was installing an AutoPot system in the greenhouse, and it has more than paid for itself. Tomatoes, cucumbers and other greenhouse crops have thrived with very little intervention, producing an abundance of food for minimal effort.



Other highlights from the kitchen garden include:




Adding new beds and keeping a steady flow of crops coming in



Growing perennial crops like asparagus and rhubarb from seed



Successful straw bale gardening, once the bales were properly conditioned using a high-nitrogen feed



Growing food from supermarket produce, including potatoes, garlic, ginger and herbs




Beyond the harvests, the kitchen garden has played a huge role in supporting my mental health this year. During times of change and disruption, simply being outside, focused on small achievable jobs, made a real difference.







Allotment Update



Down on the allotment, 2025 was all about productivity, resilience and learning how to work with less time available.



One of the standout successes this year has been using straw as a mulch. At around £3.50 per bale, it’s been a cost-effective way to protect soil, retain moisture during a very dry year, and massively improve yields – particularly with potatoes.



Other key lessons and highlights include:




Producing far more of our own compost using large corrugated iron compost bins



Accepting that some crops struggled in the dry conditions, particularly beans and peas



Seeing brassicas, potatoes and fruit crops really thrive despite the lack of rain



Gradually improving problem areas and boundaries over winter




The goal for 2026 is clear: add even more organic matter, improve soil structure, and push productivity even further.







Recipe of the Week – Bubble and Squeak



This week’s recipe is a proper post-Christmas classic: Bubble and Squeak.



It’s a fantastic way to use up leftover roast potatoes and vegetables, lightly mashed, mixed together and fried until crisp and golden. Perfect with an egg for breakfast, or served alongside cold meats – and it freezes beautifully too.



You’ll find the full recipe on the website.







£5,000 Food Growing Challenge



Every year I aim to grow £5,000 worth of food, based on supermarket prices. While I didn’t quite hit the target in 2025, we still managed an impressive £4,500 worth of home-grown food.



Fruit crops were the real stars this year, with tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers and soft fruit delivering huge value – and there’s plenty of scope to push th...