To book-end the winter break, I’m sort of picking up where we left off by talking about a way to mark the passing of the year and the seasons and to ground yourself and your gardening endeavours in the natural patterns that govern them. My guest is Lia Leendertz, author of the annual The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide and she starts by talking about the origins of her almanac.

Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Winter in the veg garden

What We Talk About

The history of Lia’s Almanac

How Lia intends for people to use the Almanac throughout the year

The importance connecting with traditions, celebrations and rituals

The monthly list of gardening jobs

Gardening by the phases of the moon

Underlying themes of the Almanac; the pond and the zodiac

A discussion of Lia’s line about the month of August, “Your ancestors would be proud to see how far you have come, sipping a glass of cold wine and laughing in the sun.”

About Lia Leendertz

Lia is an award-winning garden and food writer based in Bristol. Her reinvention of the traditional rural almanac has become an annual must-have for readers eager to connect with the seasons, appreciate the outdoors and discover ways to mark and celebrate each month.

Links

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz - Octopus Publishing Group, September 2022

Lia’s Website

Lia on Instagram

Lia on Twitter 

Other episodes if you liked this one:

The Wheel of the Year with Dr Rebecca Beattie

Garden Roots with Lulah Ellender

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