Inside the Victorian Kitchen Garden at Audley End House – with Gemma Sturges
This month we head to Essex, England, where I'm joined by Gemma Sturges, Kitchen Garden Supervisor at the magnificent Audley End House and Gardens. Gemma has spent 15 years working in this extraordinary walled kitchen garden, where Victorian gardening traditions are very much alive. Set within historic brick walls, the garden covers almost three acres and is home to an impressive collection of heritage fruit and vegetables, including more than 120 varieties of apples, 70 varieties of pears, and beautifully trained fruit trees. We chat about what it takes to maintain a Victorian kitchen garden today, how traditional gardening methods have been adapted to suit modern organic practices, and what we can learn from the gardeners who worked these productive gardens more than a century ago. From four-year crop rotations and soil management to historic glasshouses, heritage varieties and the practicalities of growing food on this scale, Gemma shares her experience of caring for a garden that is both a piece of living history and a working kitchen garden. There are plenty of ideas here for those of us gardening on a much smaller scale, too. Join us for a fascinating look behind the walls of one of England's remarkable historic kitchen gardens. Support the show You can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz