CoirProducts.co.uk Featured Grower this week is Kate (@katelatimer_country). In this blog post, Kate spoke to us about some of her early experiences that continue to shape her gardening journey. She also shared with us her interests in growing flowers, what she loves about gardening, and the importance of being environmentally-friendly as well as encouraging wildlife. Kate also spoke to us about the joys of growing, being creative, and spending time outdoors. With gardening as her full-time job, Kate says, she is deeply appreciative of getting to do a job that she loves every day, because this allows her to do all the things she loves in one.
Recalling those early experiences, Kate says, “I got into gardening from a young age, I had my first allotment at 9. While other children wanted toys I wanted gardening tools!” While they didn’t have a big garden, Kate reflects, “when I was around six or seven I remember drawing carrots and cabbages in rows and daydreaming about how I was going to convert my mother’s bedding borders into vegetable beds!” She goes on to say, “at 8 I was really fortunate that we moved to a little cottage that had allotments down the bottom of our lane, I would sit on the verges of the allotments and talk to the holders and ask lots of questions! I was probably a pain to some but that led to me having my own allotment which was really exciting!”
Speaking about what she loves to grow now, Kate says, this year, she is trying out a lot more flowers, having started a flower farm in one of the arable fields at the back house. While the original plan for this plot was to grow enough vegetables for her family, Kate decided she wanted gardening to be her full-time job. She explains, “I was working as a florist at the time and growing flowers seemed like the perfect job to do all the things I love in one… growing, creativity and being outside surrounded by nature.”
Reflecting on this new venture, Kate says, “I’m still fairly new to growing flowers as my main interest has mostly been in things you can eat, but when I started my cottage garden 6 years ago I found myself also filling vases with the beautiful blooms and perennials. I am still growing a lot of vegetables in my garden and I will sell some vegetables at my roadside stall along with the flowers!”
Kate’s favourite things to grow are pumpkins and squashes! “I’ve now lost track of how many varieties I’m growing and I’m always on the lookout for new ones,” she adds. Kate also loves growing runner beans, “for me they are nostalgic… the raw taste takes me back to my first allotment days when I would eat them straight off the vines! I wouldn’t be without growing cucumbers and tomatoes in my greenhouse as you cannot beat these homegrown vegetables on taste!
Talking about her process of gardening, Kate says, it’s often a case of how much work you put in. She also highlights the importance of doing some research beforehand, “research is key so when it comes to growing a new variety I do my research to make sure I’m giving that plant exactly what it needs.” She goes on to say, “I think people get disheartened when they put a seed in a pot and it doesn’t grow, but there’s just so many factors involved with the success of a seedling! For example, in my early years, I would just pop a seed in a pot of compost, however deep the hole happened to be and hope for the best! I had no idea that some seeds need light for germination. When I was a child I did learn a lot sitting on the grass paths at the allotments but I didn’t see the work that went on before getting the seedlings ready to go in the ground. Now I find out what depth and conditions this seed needs.”
Gardening books, she says, are “my bibles. I refer to them often to make sure that I’m on track and I haven’t got into any bad habits or mixing up information in my head!” She finds it helpful to make a note of what worked and what didn’t, “as with all gardeners sometimes things don’t work out so I work out what went wrong and I make notes, I find that very effective.” Last year, Kate worked at Daylesford house. “They have a very beautiful walled garden where I picked up a lot of knowledge from gardener Steve Gamble.
Kate also emphasised on the importance of being environmentally-friendly. “This was one of the reasons I started my own business. I wanted to have a positive effect on our environment. In my early days of gardening the advice I was given was to use chemicals, so that’s what I did, but luckily we have the knowledge now so I don’t use sprays or weed killers on my plot. I also keep plastics to an absolute minimum. If I do need to use plastics, I source them secondhand,” Kate says.
She is also happy to see so much wildlife in her garden. “It’s been amazing to watch how much wildlife is now in the garden since I started growing here. We live in a farm workers cottage surrounded by fields so we have always had a lot of wildlife, so it was quite a surprise when even more came along! I’m not a tidy gardener, I don’t mind the weeds growing tall around my plot and in the garden, I don’t mind my messing pile of hedges cutting, I haven’t got around to moving because they become home to little creatures!”
Kate also shared her experiences of using coir products. Having used coir products for a few years, she says, “When you open a box delivered from CoirProducts, it is lovely to see no plastic. The products are convenient for me as it’s easy to move around the blocks of coir, I can bring them into the house and start sewing seeds early on in the season when I don’t fancy being outside in the cold greenhouse! If it gets messy… it just dries up and I can run the brush or hover over without it staining or needing to wash over the floors. Not only are the pots better for the environment but they also look much nicer than plastic pots which is a massive bonus! I also find it easier to store, I don’t have to worry about a sneaky slug or snail getting in my half open bag of compost and laying eggs!” This year, Kate says, she will be selling young tomato plants on her roadside stall in coir pots!
Speaking about some of the wider benefits of gardening, Kate says, “gardening is really good for keeping us in sync with the seasons which in modern life a lot of people have forgotten about… it slows us down so we notice more of nature and its magic. For me, nothing I could buy that can compare with the joy I feel pushing my old wheelbarrow up from the field, full of vegetables and flowers, and that’s what I want more of in my life… that kind of joy!” On the other hand, the biggest challenge is with time. “I have children and animals plus a floristy and bakery side to my business here so there’s always so much to do!”
Kate also reflected on those who have inspired her, including people from her childhood. “Percy Barrett was one of the allotment holders when I first started, He took me under his wing and helped get me started. My mother’s godfather was also an inspiring person in my life from a young age… Mr Monk grew a lot of soft fruit… I remember lots of summer afternoons at the farm eating too many gooseberries! He also brought me my first small fork, spade and hoe as a birthday present at 9. I now get to do a job I love every day!” She is grateful for the knowledge and experiences she has gained over the years. “With the knowledge I have gained over the years I can make a living from doing what I love! I also get to feed my family and friends tasty fruit, veg and give them beautiful flowers!”
She goes on to share some tips and suggestions for other gardeners. Those new to gardening could always seek out advice from people that are experts in their field. The garden community online is full of support and encouragement. She also encourages gardeners and growers to get to know their soil and what plants thrive in those. “If you have a neighbour that is into gardening, go knock on their door and ask them for some advice. Have a look at what is growing in their garden,” she adds.
But overall, gardening involves a process of learning, and this is what makes it great. “We are always learning and that’s what makes gardening such a great hobby… there’s always more knowledge to gain,” Kate says. She also adds, “If you are ever in the Cotswolds, do come visit my roadside stall!”
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