"There's lots of advice that can be given, but I think the main one is don't give up. What have you got to lose? Everything is an experiment. Even as professional gardeners, we make mistakes and the beauty about plants is there's always another season, there's always another year, and there are always more seeds. It's amazing what you can achieve so don't give up and keep trying.
“Start off with simple things and get your confidence. Sew some tomato plants: the first time that you taste your own tomatoes is a real joy. You can say, I did that. You looked after it, nurtured it, fed it, and then suddenly you have a crop and it makes you feel that you have achieved something.
“Listen to people. Listen to the people who ask questions of people who have gardens because there's as many people who will tell you that there's 100 different ways to do things, and they are all right. They're right in their eyes and their experiences.
“And if you manage to start gardening, find your tribe. If you can find your tribe, you'll never pay for a plant ever again because we swap, we dig them out the ground and we give things away. Plants grow, they get bigger, and you tend to find that they always outgrow their space and you have to dig them up, divide them, and then with the bit you've got you can swap it.”
“I think the main thing is don't be afraid because it can actually be quite daunting. You think what do I need to do here? There's so many books. There's so much literature out there to to start, but don't be afraid. Have a go, and try to understand how to germinate a seed. Fruit and vegetables are perhaps a good place to start because if you can sow some carrot seeds and then produce a crop, I think that's a hugely satisfying feeling to get something from seed to plate, knowing that your hands have helped that plant get to that journey.
"You're going to make mistakes, that is just absolutely part of it. You know, every year, I try things, every year things fail, but I just keep trying. And you've just got to keep doing that so never be afraid to just have a go.
“Look about your local area, you’ll easily spot somebody that's a keen gardener just by what you see in their garden and strike up a conversation, it’s a good way to meet people. You'll often get really good tips from local people, because what can happen in one part of the country and then another, in terms of growing situation, can be vastly different. And that goes for books too. You read a book and it'll tell you the parameters at which you can grow that plant but that sometimes doesn't fit your your actual geographical location. So try and meet some local people, and they'll give you some good advice.”
“The first thing I would say to anybody who is gardening, and this is a little bit about climate change, my best piece of advice is just mulch, mulch, mulch. Look after the soil, and the plants will look after themselves. You want to have a deep soil, a rich soil, for most plants - obviously, if you're growing alpines, you don't want that. The more you can get your soil into a good condition, the more the plants have resilience, whether it be to drought, whether it be to disease.
“I like to think that the garden is shared with all the other creatures that are part of the garden. So look at what you're planting and think what else can benefit from this as well then you feel like you're caring for all the things that are also in the garden.”
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