You've been gardening from an early age. How did you get into it - was there a family influence?
My gardening journey started when I was 17 after applying for a job in a garden centre as a summer temp. At this point, although I loved nature and being outdoors, I had never done anything garden related and this was simply a job to make some money. During my first week the owner gave me some long straggly seed potatoes and said to take them home and plant them if I wanted, so I did. Little did I know that planting those seed potatoes would turn my thumbs green! I got the bug instantly. What else could I grow?
Over the following seven years me and my dad built a veg garden with 10 raised beds, a three-bay compost system and we acquired three freebie greenhouses too! I was growing everything and anything I could.
At 24 I moved to North Yorkshire with my partner Dean and, of course, I had to bring one of my greenhouses with me. I've grown so much in that greenhouse, it really is my happy place. After a few years living in North Yorkshire, I finally found my dream job, plant area manager at Whitegates Garden Nursery a family-owned garden nursery set in beautiful countryside and I get to look after all the plants. Heaven, right?
I live and breathe plants, all day every day. Me and my dad have competitions to see who can grow the biggest tomatoes and who harvests the first carrots each year. I grow all my plants from seed so every year I grow tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins for Mum, Dad and my granny too. It's such a great feeling growing plants for them all.
Do you do your gardening on an allotment or in the garden or both?
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
