Working alongside nature is such a privilege

Coir products.co.uk Featured Grower this week is @Grow_With_Joe, and we are indeed privileged to share his gardening story with this community. Since our inception, we at CoirProducts, have loved following Joe’s gardening adventures. A dedicated and inspiring grower, Joe often shares exciting and informative updates from his plot. 

In this blog post, Joe tells us how he started gardening and who inspired him the most in those early days. He recalls some of his fondest memories following his grandfather around in the garden. He also tells us what he loves to grow now, and shares with us valuable lessons and experiences. Sharing tips with those new to gardening, he says, while gardening can be daunting, to start small, enjoy the process, and just ask for help where needed. He also reflects on the many benefits of gardening and why working alongside nature is such a privilege. 

Read on to learn all about Joe’s gardening journey. 

How and when did you start gardening/growing? Where was your first garden? What did you grow when you first started? 

Growing up we were lucky enough to have a very large garden which had a pond, trees, chickens, a small orchard and of course a vegetable patch. It was in this garden I spent my childhood exploring, collecting eggs and helping my grandad ‘The Master Gardener’, tend to all his fantastic fruits and vegetables.

I have so many happy memories growing up. If we weren’t at the beach we would be out in the garden. I would get lost in towering rows of broad beans and peas which my grandad lovingly tended to from dusk to dawn, 7 days a week. My most fondest memories would be days where I followed him round the garden watching and learning from him. If I didn’t have a spade or trowel in hand I would be helping him pick and shell peas and beans, as well as sneakily eating them as I went along of course! It’s these memories which I look back on which bring so much joy and happiness and hope my children will do the same too of our time down on the plot.

Did someone inspire you to start gardening? If so, who was it? Could you share a story about them?

My grandad was definitely the one who inspired me to start growing our own produce. He was one of those gardeners who just knew everything you needed to know about growing fruits and veggies, almost as if he was born with the knowledge. He would get up very early in the morning, make himself a cup of tea and disappear to the veg patch at the top of the garden only reappearing at lunchtime to make himself a sandwich before getting back to work.

I would make my way up to the garden as a very young boy, sidling up to him whilst he was busily weeding and watering; asking him the immortal question – ‘Have you got any jobs granddad?’.  Looking back now I was probably more of a hindrance than a help, but he would always find something for me to do.

One memory which sticks out for me is helping him pull up spent brussel sprout stalks which were seemingly anchored to the ground and immovable for someone as small as I. There I was, tiny hands wrapped tightly around those stubborn plants, pulling with all my might with a definite ‘Sword in the Stone’ feel about it. Alas, this was not ‘Excalibur’ I was trying to dislodge from a stone, it was a brussel sprout stalk which was definitely getting the better of me. Rather than let me get downhearted or upset at my lack of progress my granddad unbeknownst to me loosened the plant and asked me to have another go. Of course I was then able to pull the plant up with ease and my granddad showered me with praise, saying how strong I was, making me beam with pride. It’s something I think about still to this day over 35 years later and is something I found myself doing with our children on our allotment which I hope will stay with them for just as long too.

What was your first gardening ‘success’?

Lots of allotment holders seem to have a very similar story when it comes to how things started with their plot. My guess is that the majority of allotment holders will say the growing space they inherited from the previous tenants was an overgrown mess which took a lot of hard work to get into a useable state. This was definitely the case for us when we signed our tenancy in 2016. Our very large plot had remained unused for a number of years and had become a wilderness of trees, weeds, grass and bushes. It also came complete with 2 sheds patched together with rotten wood and asbestos. Undeterred we got straight to work clearing the plot a little at a time. We were desperate to grow something so after a lot of blood sweat and tears we managed to clear a small piece of ground and sowed a row of broad beans. These beans were the first veggies we grew on our plot and were a huge success and a real symbol of what you can achieve with a little hard work and determination.

How has your gardening changed since you first started it? 

When we first took on our allotment we jumped straight in and grew anything and everything we could, some edibles of which we didn’t actually really enjoy eating, but for some reason proceeded to sow and grow each year. Whilst growing an array of different edibles is fantastic practice, we quickly realised that the best things to grow were actually things you enjoy to eat. Now I do realise that sounds an incredibly silly and simple thing to say, ‘grow what you eat’, but sometimes we need to be reminded of it. Just because everyone else grows a certain fruit or vegetable and it’s deemed to be an allotment staple on plots across the nation, it doesn’t mean you have to grow it too. For us, we had to say a fond farewell to runner beans – your flowers are beautiful, but I’m sorry your beans are just not for us.

What do you grow? Do you have a speciality? 

We are very fortunate to have a large allotment which allows us the space to grow lots of different green goodies. This means we can grow a variety of things throughout the year with some of our favourites being leeks, parsnips, potatoes, beetroot, pumpkins and lots of different varieties of squash.

We also have a small polytunnel and two greenhouses which give plants which prefer more sheltered and warmer conditions a chance to really thrive, such as melons, cucumbers, peppers and cucamelons. 

Another plant we enjoy growing and something that definitely benefits from a little extra attention in the greenhouse and polytunnel is our old friend the tomato. We’ve been growing tomatoes successfully in the greenhouse and in our raised beds outside for a number of years now. This beautiful fruit only needs a little extra pampering to keep it happy and once you realise this you will be rewarded with countless fruits for many months.

How often do you garden?

We’re extremely fortunate to have our allotment site only metres from our home, taking seconds to walk from our front door which enables me to do lots of gardening. This means I can pop to the plot with ease whenever I need to water, weed, sow or even harvest some delicious vegetables for dinner. I am still working from home in my current employment which means I’m able to make use of my lunch break which allows me to get to the plot 5 or 6 times a week. An hour lunch break doesn’t seem a large amount of time, but you’d be surprised how much you can achieve in 60 minutes so I would always encourage gardeners to make use of any time they can spare as it all definitely helps.

How do you decide what you are going to grow or plant? 

Deciding what to grow can be a little tricky when taking on your own allotment or garden. Planning is key. Once you’ve assessed the space you have, what the layout of your growing area is, and when the sun reaches (or doesn’t reach) certain areas, it’s a good idea to think about what you actually enjoy eating. My partner is a fantastic cook, so I always have a chat with her before I order seeds to see if there is anything in particular she would like me to grow so she can meal prep and plan in advance. Also, it can be advantageous and save you money if you grow those things which tend to be more expensive to buy in shops like asparagus and raspberries for example.

What do you enjoy the most about gardening? 

Gardening is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things you can do. It doesn’t matter how many seeds I’ve sown over the years, I still can’t help but smile when I see those first signs of life poking through the soil. There really is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to eat a meal with your family who are enjoying food you’ve grown from seed. Being surrounded with and working alongside nature is such a privilege and something I never take for granted. It’s so good for your physical and mental health and never fails to lift my mood when I’m feeling a little down or I’ve had a stressful day at work. I can not recommend this incredible pastime highly enough! 

What benefits has gardening/growing brought to you?

Growing your own produce means that you’re in charge of how that fruit or vegetable is nurtured. You know exactly how it was grown, maintained and harvested. I am a huge advocate of working alongside nature rather than against it, so pesticides and chemicals are never used on our allotment. If you visit our plot you will see lots of nets/barriers as a pesticide alternative and you’ll also see a few munched holes in the odd leaf or root vegetable which is another tell-tale sign of a chemical free environment.

Becoming fully self-sufficient was never the end goal when we took on the plot. Our children were one of the main reasons we decided to take on our allotment. It was really important to have them involved from a young age, so they not only knew where their food comes from, but also to teach them the skills and knowledge of how to grow it themselves too. Seeing them sow, grow, tend to and then harvest and eat their own food makes me very happy indeed.

What tips do you have to offer to new gardeners?

It can be a little daunting if you’re completely new to gardening no matter how big or small your growing space. Whether you’re starting your gardening adventure on a new allotment or even in a container on a patio or balcony just remember to try and start with a small selection of things. It’s a good idea to grow a few things and do it well, rather than trying to grow lots of things and struggling.

Gardening is supposed to be enjoyable so don’t put too much pressure on yourself if something doesn’t grow or dies suddenly. You may even find that something you grew successfully one year will be a complete disaster the next year, so don’t be disheartened just have another go. Gardening is all about having successes and failures and even the most experienced gardener will fail at things over the course of the growing season.

If you’re struggling or are really unsure about something, just ask. There is one subject growers really enjoy talking about and that’s ‘gardening’, so don’t be afraid to reach out. If you don’t know the answer to something or need a little extra direction it really is ok to ask and I can almost guarantee it will be something someone has queried before. Just remember, there are no silly questions if you don’t know the answer.

Have you used coir-based products in your gardening? If so, what do you like about those? 

We have been using peat-free compost for years due the huge impact harvesting peat moss from peat bogs has on the environment and surrounding ecosystems. The reason peat has been used in general purpose compost for so many years is because it’s lightweight, water retentive and increases the airflow in the compost, making it less compact allowing roots to pass through easily.

This left environmentally conscious gardeners with a bit of a puzzle. We of course want our compost to have all the attributes and benefits that peat brings which is sustainable, BUT without actually using that precious commodity.

Fortunately for us, coir has all those advantages and should be a staple for every gardener.

We’ve used coir a lot over the past few years. I love how many different products there are available to try; from tiny coir coins and discs for sowing seeds, grow cubes, weed suppressant mats and coir pots of all sizes and so much more.

One of my favourite coir products has to be the coir potting mix. These compacted bricks of fine coir expand and crumble when soaked in water resulting in a huge mound of coir which I then mix into our general purpose compost. This coir potting mix is the perfect replacement for peat moss and improves shop bought compost greatly. It results in a light airy growing medium to sow and plant in which definitely requires less watering in the greenhouse when the temperatures rise.

Coir is sustainable, 100% biodegradable and natural which makes this fabulous growing medium a winner in my book!

What plans have you got for 2023?

We always seem to be playing catch up with things on our plot. It feels like as soon as the summer growing season ends, autumn and winter fly by and it’s time to start sowing tomatoes and chillies in February and March the following year. Now don’t get me wrong, I love it when it’s time to sow those delicious fruits; it’s just there never seems to be enough time in between to catch up on all those repairs, weeding, digging and basically all those jobs I keep promising myself I’m going to do when it’s quieter in autumn and winter. 

So this year I’m really trying to get everything done; the greenhouse repaired, the shed tidied, the brassica and carrot nets/frames built and to basically get the plot ready for action so we’re relaxed and prepared for when the busy seed sowing frenzy begins again in spring.

We went a little overboard with cucumber plants this year with dozens and dozens of fruits to contend with so I think we will have a rethink on the number of cucumber plants we grow. We’ll be replacing some of those cucumber plants in the greenhouse and polytunnel with some sweet peppers next year which I’m really looking forward to growing. 

Also, in addition to the sweet pea flowers we grow every year I’ve been thinking about growing a few additional varieties of scented cut flowers too. These will be growing in the new raised beds I made this year which is something I’m really excited about having a go at and will definitely be something new for us on our plot.

So if all goes to plan we should have a fabulous year ahead of us.

For more about Joe’s gardening journey:

Website: www.growwithjoe.online  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrowWithJoeFB

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gr0w_with_joe?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grow_with_joe/