Main content

Postbag Edition: Ninewells Community Garden

Kathy Clugston hosts a postbag edition answering questions on composting leaves, tomatoes with tough skins, weed-suppressing membranes and olive tree care.

Kathy Clugston and GQT team have packed their wellies for a trip to the Ninewells Community Garden in Dundee.

Kathy is joined by Matthew Pottage, Neil Porteous and Kirsty Wilson to explore the grounds whilst delving into the GQT Postbag together.

Among todays questions, the panellists break down which leaves are better to compost than others, tackle a listener’s battle against tomatoes with tough skins, and debate the long‑term impact of weed‑suppressing membranes on soil health.

They also explore the ins and outs of olive tree care, suggest the perfect daisies to plant in a pair of cherished old police boots, and consider which dramatic grasses can bring structure and movement to a no‑mow lawn rooted in very sandy soil.

Later in the show, Garden Facilitator at Ninewells Community Garden, Mary Colvin, leads the team on a tour of the vibrant community garden, sharing how gardening and green spaces can boost wellbeing, support recovery, and promote a holistic approach to health.

Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 1 Mar 202614:00
BBC Radio 4

More episodes

Previous

Chaldon

Next

Hertfordshire

See all episodes from Gardeners' Question Time

Featured

  • .

Plant List

Q1 – How to prune misshapen Bramley & Egremont Russet apples? (4’09”)

Neil Porteous

  • Malus domestica 'Bramley's Seedling', Bramley apple

  • Malus domestica 'Egremont Russet', Egremont Russet apple

Q2 – Are some leaves better to compost than others? (6’45”)

Matthew Pottage

  • Betula, birch

  • Fagus sylvatica, common beech

  • Quercus robur, common oak

  • Platanus × hispanica, London plane

Kirsty Wilson

  • Pinus, pine

Q3 – What can I do about worm casts spoiling my lawn? (11’14”)

Q4 – What dramatic grasses can be added to a no‑mow lawn on very sandy soil? (13’10”)

Neil Porteous

  • Chionochloa flavescens, broad-leaved snow tussock

  • Chionochloa flavicans, miniature toetoe

  • Chionochloa conspicua, plumed tussock grass

Kirsty Wilson

  • Stipa gigantea, golden oats

  • Miscanthussinensis, eulalia

Matthew Pottage

  • Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea 'Edith Dudszus', purple moor‑grass 'Edith Dudszus'

Q5 – Is weed‑suppressing membrane bad for soil? (19’49”)

Q6 – Can the panel suggest how to improve growing results for echinacea seeds? (23’02”)

Matthew Pottage

  • Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower

Q7 – Why do my tomatoes always have tough skins?

Neil Porteous

  • Solanum lycopersicum 'Ailsa Craig', tomato 'Ailsa Craig'

  • Solanum lycopersicum 'Shirley', tomato 'Shirley'

Q8 – How to care for an olive tree: is it hardy & should it be repotted? (29’17”)

  • Olea europaea, olive

Q9 – What is a large, dramatic indoor tree that the panel would recommend for a warm house? (32’46”)

Matthew Pottage

  • Ficus benjamina, weeping fig

  • Ficus lyrata, fiddle‑leaf fig

  • Yucca elephantipes 'Jewel', spineless yucca 'Jewel'

  • Yucca elephantipes 'Puck', spineless yucca 'Puck'

  • Beaucarnea recurvata, elephant’s foot

Kirsty Wilson

  • Sparrmannia africana, African hemp

  • Howea forsteriana, sentry palm (syn. Kentia palm)

Neil Porteous

  • Abutilon spp., Indian mallow (flowering maple)

Q10 – What is happening to my houseplant where all the leaves were small and variegated but now the new emerging leaves are small and all white? (35’46”)

Matthew Pottage

  • Philodendron spp., philodendron

Q11 – What daisies do the panel suggest to planting in a pair of old police boots that hold sentimental value? (38’03”)

Neil Porteous

  • Feliciaamelloides 'Santa Anita', blue daisy 'Santa Anita'

  • Diascia spp., twinspur (diascia)

  • Alonsoameridionalis

Matthew Pottage

  • Delosperma spp., ice plant

  • Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, heart-leaved fig marigold

  • Erigeron karvinskianus, Mexican fleabane

Kirsty Wilson

  • Erigeronkarvinskianus 'Lavender Lady’, Mexican fleabane 'Lavender Lady'

Broadcasts

  • Fri 27 Feb 202615:00
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sun 1 Mar 202614:00
    BBC Radio 4

Six of GQT’s naughtiest gardening innuendos

Six of GQT’s naughtiest gardening innuendos

When Gardeners' Question Time got mucky.

Podcast