CoirProducts.co.uk Featured Grower this week is Richard (@plot_4_my_allotment). Richard started growing just the first lockdown, which he says, couldn’t have come at a better time. Having been involved with an accident some time prior to that and facing some of the toughest times of his life, the allotment gave him something new and somewhere to go when days were unbearable. Now, Richard loves growing plants that add colour to his allotment. In this blog post, Richard reminds us of the power of gardening and the importance of taking time to enjoy the garden. Read on to learn all about Richard’s gardening journey.
Reflecting on how he started gardening, Richard says, “I started growing on my allotment just before we went into the first lockdown. I took on the allotment after I was involved in an accident where I hit my head and lost my sense of smell, which has changed my life.”
Before the accident, Richard was a chef looking after the players and staff at a Premier league football club, working at the training ground and travelling with the squad both domestically and internationally. “It was like a little dream to be involved in football every day I went to work,” he says. Following the accident, Richard says “I lost all my confidence and suffered with anxiety and depression. I fell apart and struggled to even go out of the house or do simple tasks around the house so when the allotment came up I thought it may help.”
Going to the new plot the first day he had access, Richard recalls walking around for about half an hour thinking, “what am I doing this isn’t for me”. And then he left. The day after though, he thought he would try again. “On arrival there was a package tied to the fence at my plot. A bag filled with packs of seeds and a note that read ‘I saw you yesterday and hope this will help get you started’ – Bob plot 1’. Richard found this inspiring, as he says, “the world needs more people like Bob, a man in his 70s that saw someone he didn’t know and bothered to make an effort. He is over 30 years older than I and has become a really good friend. We now meet up at the allotment and have a cuppa and a chat and he is always there if I need any help with anything.” Richard goes on to say, “he is the reason I kept the allotment and am still there enjoying it today. He along with my amazing family got me through the toughest time of my life, plot 4 gave me somewhere to go when the days seemed unbearable, somewhere I felt safe”.
From there on, Richard has come to enjoy growing. He likes to grow things that add colour to the plot and are also good for health. “This year I have gone for a lot of purple… sprouting broccoli,” he says, adding he has also been growing French beans, kale, peppers, beetroot and sprouts. That’s not all either. “There always has to be pumpkins for the kids to carve. And I am trying to add flowers to make it more interesting when I walk around,” Richard says.
Reflecting on some of the gardening successes, Richard says, “I see anything that grows as a success and the things that don’t as a lesson.” But this wasn’t his thinking some time back, as he adds, “I couldn’t have said that a couple of years ago when I first started, if it didn’t grow it would be seen as the end of the world!”
Richard says he has had a good amount of success with pretty much all the vegetables he has tried to grow, especially cucumbers, adding, “I have learned that a family of five can’t keep up with 5 plants, there is only so many ways you can eat a cucumber!”
Sweetcorn is another one he does well with. “I plant a pea at the base of my corn now to feed the plant after I experimented last year with and without a pea. The plants that had one grew twice the size of the ones without and the difference in colour was unbelievable. I wish I had taken pics for reference,” he adds.
On the other hand, cauliflower hasn’t gone well for him! “What am I doing wrong? Every year it’s the same, all the neighbouring plots have beauties…… not me, I have a little brown ball in the middle of a really nice looking plant. I have now decided I hate cauliflower and it hates me!” he says.
As for the biggest lesson, Richard says, “always start with a good cuppa, take your time and enjoy it. If it doesn’t work don’t worry about it and try it again next year in a different way.” Richard has also learnt another valuable lesson, “take the time to speak to people and get to know them, you just don’t know what they may be going through and that friendly chat could make a massive difference to their day as it did for me.”
Talking about who inspires him the most, Richard says, “I like to watch you tube videos by both Huw Richards and Charles Dowding. I have started to follow some of their advice on no dig and I never thought I would say it, but I have noticed a difference already. I think the biggest inspiration is that man Bob. His plot is immaculate, he spends all winter there when a lot of people don’t bother coming down. He is always building something or moving something into a new position as it may be better for next year, he spends the cold months preparing and the warmer months enjoying it.”
Looking towards the future, Richard says he wants to try to add more flowers and colours, “but mainly to continue enjoying my time there as it gives me somewhere quiet to go for mindfulness.” He goes on to say, “my aim over time is to fill every part of the ground with something, I want to walk through an archway filled with flowers as I enter through the gate. AND maybe grow a cauliflower that I can actually take home.”
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