The Newt Podcast

Pete Olley, Head of Compost at The Newt, takes us on an exploratory journey into the heart of The Newt's compost heaps. We begin in the prunings, clippings, peelings and coffee grounds and end in the 'black gold' so coveted by gardeners and growers alike. Pete explains the processes at work, how to compost 'like a Newt', the keys to success, tips on how to get started at home, and what happens to all the kitchen waste that you put in your 'food waste bin' that is collected on recycling days.
This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing.
Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra
The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. 
Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.
Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), form an important part of the Newt’s farm. Their milk is used by Margaretha Van Dam, the Newt’s Head Cheesemaker, for the signature cheeses made in the Creamery at Castle Cary railway station, a couple of miles from The Newt’s HQ.
Cameron Knee, The Newt’s Farm Manager, takes us on a tour around the buffalo farm and brings us mic-to-nose with these remarkable, fascinating, gentle giants. We join Cameron and his team at milking-time in the milking-parlour, then follow the milk’s journey to the Creamery.
This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing.
Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra
The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. 
Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.
Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Jim Pitcher, Gamekeeper of The Newt, introduces us to the animals of the estate - some familiar, and others less so.
Jim has worked on the estate for decades, and has watched how it has changed over all those years. He has also seen how the English landscape has changed in those years and shares his insights about wildlife management and countryside traditions.
Come ear to beak with a menagerie of extraordinary birds, hear the thunder of deer hooves and the gentle wisdom of a true countryman.
This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing.
Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra
The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. 
Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.
Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Charles Dowding, possibly the best known name in ‘no-dig’ gardening circles, has spent 44 years growing organic food the no-dig way.
 
A Somerset native, Charles comes from a farming family and has always had an appreciation of how soil health is directly related to our health. As Charles puts it in his own words, “I was conventional as a teenager, not questioning the world I saw. Then, in 1979, aged 20, I awoke to an awareness of nutrition and its links to food production. I had recently become a vegetarian and that led me to explore organic gardening. And the soil.”
 
Charles shares his no-dig journey with his 744,000 followers on his YouTube channel. He leads educational courses and workshops at his garden, Homeacres, and has published a wealth of no-dig books and resources.
This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing.
Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra
The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. 
Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.
Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Paul Lamb, master hedgelayer, has spent over 25 years refining and practising his craft across the West Country and, more recently, in Gower, South Wales. 
Working by hand with traditional tools, he restores and creates living boundaries that support wildlife, prevent erosion, and preserve the character of the British countryside.
His book Of Thorn & Briar and his Instagram account @westcountry_hedgelayer offer glimpses into this way of life, but his true legacy lies in the hedges he lays and the hands he teaches.
Selected subjects covered:
If hedges could talk, what would they say about us? (02:00)
Why do hedgerows become fractured? (03:31)
Livestock boundaries: plant, stone or water (4:22)
Different geographic styles & techniques of hedgelaying (05:26)
Paul's background and what got him into hedgelaying (08:20)
What time of year to lay a hedge (11:35)
Ecosystem support (13:01)
Who now wants hedges laid? (14:43)
Dutch elm disease (21:15)
Tools of the trade (22:53)
How to lay a hedge properly (27:08)
Bestselling new book: Of Thorn & Briar (35:28)
Connection to the generations that precede us (39:53)
The future of hedgelaying (42:14)
What hedgelaying teaches us (43:37)
Connection between hedgelaying and improved mental state (46:18)
This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing.
Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra
The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. 
Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.
Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset