HortWeek Podcast

Welcome to the HortWeek Podcast where we bring you news and views on the most important topics of the day for UK horticulture professionals. For more visit https://www.hortweek.co.uk/podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HortWeek Podcast is a business podcast hosted by HortWeek, with 290 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

HortWeek hosts HortWeek Podcast, a business show with 290 episodes published.

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  Episode #2

  Going 100% peat-free, with Form Plants' Jamie Butterworth

  Sep 24, 202632 minS7

  Jamie Butterworth has gained a higher media profile in recent years with stints on TV presenting for RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Gardeners' World. Despite his growing TV presence, Butterworth considers himself a gardener first and foremost, and by trade, a specialist grower of peat-free plants. The UK horticulture sector's transition to peat-free growing has been underway for decades. However, a persistent challenge has remained: many operations claiming to be "100% peat-free" have still been forced to import young plants and plugs grown in peat from overseas. Recent breakthroughs in the UK’s domestic peat-free plug sector have altered the landscape, sparking a movement demanding that peat-free should truly mean peat-free, from propagation to sale. Butterworth has fully embraced this shift. On this week's podcast, he opens up about the logistical and technical challenges of achieving 'true' peat-free status for his nursery, Form Plants - a commitment he has pledged to fulfill starting 1 September this year, as well as the hurdles facing the wider industry. Central to his strategy is bringing all propagation in-house. By doing so, Butterworth aims to: Gain total control over every stage of plant production. Reduce long-term costs by minimizing external dependencies. Break free from reliance on European supply chains, a goal he believes the broader UK horticultural industry should actively pursue. Looking back on what was supposed to be a "quiet" year, Butterworth reflects on navigating record-breaking summer heat and drought. Yet despite the environmental challenges, it has been a landmark year: his nursery, Form Plants, supplied greening projects for the UK Commonwealth Games, alongside personal milestones including a move to Cumbria and a new baby on the way. Podcast presenter: HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby Podcast producer: HortWeek digital content manager Christina Taylor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #1

  Labour MP Ben Goldsborough on his policy ideas for horticulture

  Sep 17, 202627 minS7

  As party conference season gets underway, and a new PM starts his tenure in earnest, HortWeek takes stock of where UK politicians stand on horticulture policy.  MP Ben Goldsborough, has been vocal on horticulture issues since winning the Parliamentary seat for South Norfolk for the Labour Party in 2024 and was recently elected to the EFRA Parliamentary committee. He has a horticulture pedigree, having worked on policy for the RHS, helping save RHS Wisley from being shut during lockdown but, because of that lockdown, missing out on perks like going to Chelsea Flower Show. After writing an opinion piece for HortWeek ( Modern horticulture deserves a bigger place in Britain's food future: Labour MP says Government policy must back the UK fresh produce production ), we asked him on to the HortWeek Podcast to find out where he stands on issues affecting the wider horticulture sector.  Goldsborough tells HortWeek editor Matt Appleby how he thinks the UK can balance between protecting domestic plants from pests and disease with the need to reduce trade friction for commercial growers. He give his views on how to address seasonal labour shortages and on ways to ensure green space, green infrastructure and private gardens are prioritised as Labour looks to meet its target to build 1.5 million new homes. As an MP in East Anglia, one of the driest regions in the UK, Goldsborough talks about the shortcomings of the Environment Agency and his belief that Water Boards are best placed to manage issues around water abstraction and long-term supply. For the retail and fresh produce sectors, Goldsborough raises the need for fair supply-chain terms when selling to big retailers and the need to eliminate 'flag washing'. And on peat-free , Goldsborough outlines his ideas on a way forward that can work for horticulture and the environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #52

  Prizes, products and pilfering at Four Oaks 2026 and HortWeek's new plant ID game Hortle goes viral

  Sep 10, 202618 minS6

  This week HortWeek editor Matt Appleby and technical editor Sally Drury tackle the following topics: Four Oaks Trade Show : winning plants and products Peat-free panel update And HortWeek's plant-identification game which launched at Four Oaks and is taking the YPHA by storm, Hortle.life - how many can you score? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #51

  Could EV charging be a golden opportunity for garden centres? With Richard Seppings of ElectRoad

  Sep 4, 202618 minS6

  Diversification and multiple income streams is the name of the game for garden centres looking to future proof their businesses. One such income stream could be electric car charging and this week's guest on the HortWeek Podcast believes tapping this rapidly expanding market is the perfect way to "make existing space work harder commercially. ElectRoad is an independent electric vehicle charging network and infrastructure specialist and founder Richard Seppings believes “Ggrden centres already have the ingredients that make EV charging work: accessible car parks, customers who naturally spend time on site.  He explains how their business model differs from "traditional" Charge Point Operators by working "in partnership with retailers", enabling them to retain ownership of their charging infrastructure and customer relationship. Meanwhile ElectRoad manages installation, monitoring, maintenance, payment administration and 24-hour support. Seppings added that retailers should stop thinking about EV charging as a piece of infrastructure and start treating it as part of the wider retail proposition so that the car park "can become an income-generating asset in its own right." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #50

  ICL's Brendan Howell on the horticulture market in Ireland

  Aug 27, 202617 minS4

  Brendan Howell, ICL's sales development manager for professional horticulture Ireland, speaks about the local horticulture market. its challenges, and what ICL offers to solve them. Howell is based in ICL’s expanding growing media factory in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. He brings 18 years of experience in the professional horticulture market, having previously worked at Bord na Móna and offers key insights into the sector's recent hurdles. Howell highlights the widespread challenges Irish growers and manufacturers have navigated in recent years, including: Global and supply chain disruptions: Overcoming pandemic-related constraints, raw material shortages, and maintaining adequate factory inventories. Cost and operational pressures: Managing rising material and logistics expenses alongside ongoing labor shortages. Environmental and market Shifts: Addressing climate change impacts and alleviating growers' anxieties over supply reliability. ICL entered the Irish growing media market in 2021 following Bord na Móna’s exit. Since then, the company has introduced key product lines including Levington Advance, Solutions & Sustain, and Fibagro Advance, resulting in plant quality and consistency that Howell notes is now higher than ever. As climate volatility continues, Howell stresses the growing importance of advanced crop management solutions like H2Gro Liquid & Granular water management products, Osmoform, Osmocote, and Lalguard. To feature these innovations and demonstrate custom mix production, ICL is opening a new showroom at the Portlaoise facility to showcase its full range. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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