Monty Don: Give the young time to grow into gardening
HE HAS enthused millions of amateur gardeners with his tips, advice and ideas on horticulture.
Now Monty Don, the Gardeners’ World presenter, has said that we should not waste time trying to get millennials into gardening because they will never be interested in something that is “rammed down their throat”.
A string of celebrity chefs, including Jamie Oliver and Raymond Blanc, have launched initiatives aimed at encouraging youngsters to grow their own vegetables. But, speaking at Chalke Valley History Festival, he said: “I think you should do everything you can to try and get them interested up to the age of 10. Get them eating well, growing, doing things, you know, really getting them to enjoy and play but don’t ram it down people’s throats, let them come to it.
“When you’re 15, whatever your parents tell you [what] you should do, you’re not going to do it.”
Don, 61, said that the older generation must be patient, and wait for youngsters to appreciate gardening when they are ready, which he said may not be until they are 30 or 40.
“I just think that gardening is about the future, a slow thing, that is deep and spiritual as well as spiritually rewarding,” he added.