Behind the scenes at the gardening radio programme

The van is now talking to the satellite – phew…

The Middlesized Garden waiting to star in Radio Kent’s Sunday Gardening – still only 7.50am…

Andy and Caroline setting up the ‘studio’ on the terrace

The all-important clock, placed where everyone can see it – timing is everything. Caroline is posting pictures from the programme on Facebook and Twitter.

Andy interviews me on my middle-sized gardening philosophy, which is to concentrate my time, effort and money on the beds that can be seen from the windows, while the beds at the back of the garden sort of look after themselves with lots of self-seeding.

Co-presenter Steve Bradley answers a listener’s question about patches on a pear leaf.

After a mad dash across town to get the OB van set up in Chambers Wharf Lane, Andy, Steve and Caroline set up another studio in Aileen Smith’s garden.

As well as broadcasting details of other garden events around Kent over the next week, Andy and Steve interview Aileen and her neighbour Jill de Warenne on making a garden behind a new-build house when you’re left with nothing but thinly disguised builders’ rubble

Aileen and her neighbour Jill show that a small garden can look delightful. ‘Focus on where you’re going to sit and what you’re going to look at’, says Jill.

Aileen’s garden has lots of lovely touches like these squirrels hanging from a tree,

Another dash across town at 10am to broadcast from Posy Gentles’ garden – the clock set up in its third place of the morning. Meanwhile Matt Jackson is reporting from the last set-up day of the RHS Hampton Court show.

Because Posy’s house is a terrac e, the buildings block the OB van’s sight-line with the satellite. So Posy’s partner, Rutledge, had to run a cable from Posy’s internet connection in her study through her daughter, Minna’s bedroom and drop it out into the garden over the roof.

Andy and Steve interview Posy on her philosophy for long, thin town gardens. She likes having some bigger plants and breaking up the view by planting across the garden

Posy’s daughter Frieda wears a floral hat for the occasion…

And Posy’s roses and clematis have come out at exactly the right time

To cover the time when we’re moving from garden to garden, Matt Jackson and Andy pre-recorded several interviews with Faversham Open Garden owners earlier in the week. This was from the Abbey Physic Garden, a beautiful community garden for those needing physical or mental healing.

Planting in the Abbey Physic garden – an old boot and a china tortoise make plant pots.

Andy pre-recording the sounds of footsteps on gravel – by holding the microphone close to the ground as he crunches along the path – in Frances Beaumont’s wildlife garden

Matt Jackson and Hazel from Abels Acre community garden rockery climb up the steep slope for a pre-recorded interview on how the Abels Acre volunteers managed to get a year-round blaze of colour in such poor soil.

The final pre-recorded interview of the day was Sarah Langton-Lockton’s very new garden – three months ago, it was just a mud puddle. Now it’s so pretty, although she has to keep watering it in the heat.

It’s 11am and goodbye from Andy and Steve…and the Open Gardens is in full swing…