The Newt Podcast

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

Gaz Oakley, chef, grower and cookbook author visits The Newt ahead of cooking dinner at the Garden Café on Thursday 12th March 2026 and his kombucha masterclass in the gardens on Friday 13th March 2026.
Selected subjects covered:
Ferments, pickles, preserves in the vaulted cellars of Hadspen House (02:00)
Intentional house building (prioritising functional design over purely profit-driven conventional methods) (06:30)
Nature's lavatory paper (16:10)
The Newt's compost facility (introducing The Newt's compost-guru, Pete) (20:30)
Veganism & deindustrialisation of agriculture (29:05)
Fermenting rebellion in the bakery (introducing The Newt's Head Baker, Paulo) (37:25)
Gaz's kombucha workshop (what to expect) (46:25)
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

The Newt’s Head of Food, Gelf Alderson, leads us on a journey through The Newt’s four restaurants, meeting the chefs that give them their unique identities.
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

The Newt's Head Beekeeper, Kerry Redman, lifts the lid of the Newt's hives and invites you to peek in and learn about why you should keep bees and the ethos that underpins responsible beekeeping. This episode was recorded in spring.
Key subjects covered:
What is a honey sommelier? (03:40)
The difference between honeys (04:10)
Is all honey real honey? (04:50)
Different hive design (05:15)
Tour of Beezantium (the bee museum) (06:20)
How do the bees maintain their hives in the Beezantium? (10:00)
What is propolis, and how can it benefit humans (10:30)
How to revive a tired bee (14:45)
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.
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