Alexandra Campbell chats to YouTube gardening sensation Huw Richards
Alexandra Campbell talks to young YouTube sensation, gardener and author Huw Richards on how to grow food for free.
HUW RICHARDS began gardening aged three and started his YouTube channel “Huw Richards – Grow Food Organically” when he was twelve.
He left school in 2017 and his second book,
“Grow Food For Free”, has just been published by DK Books.
Huw credits his parents with getting him into gardening early.
“They were strategic about it. They reckoned that if they didn’t give me the boring chores, like weeding, then I’d be more likely to enjoy gardening.”
If you have a child or grandchild who is interested in gardening, Huw suggests that you involve them in transplanting seedlings and harvesting.
Both are more interesting tasks, because you can see or taste the results.
“Children are also interested in the care of plants, just like the care of animals, so watering is another good choice.”
Huw’s aim is to get more people growing their own food. However, he says that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
There’s also a “misconception that growing your own food is expensive.”
“Grow Food For Free” has lots of ideas for keeping costs down, from sharing tools and swapping seeds, to using recycled materials.
He suggests land-sharing agreements between those whose gardens are too big and those who would like more growing space.
If your garden is too big for you, or you’d like some extra space, Huw advises you to be friendly. You could pop letters through people’s doors or contact a local gardening group with your appeal.
“Join a community Facebook group. Put a message out, then someone else will see it and tell a friend.”
However, it is essential for both sides to make their rules clear. It’s about mutual sharing and respecting boundaries – literally and metaphorically!
Start by establishing how and when someone would access your garden, as well as who gets a share of any crops, or extra chores in the garden.
What do you need for a basic growing area?
There are three essentials. To grow most crops you need six hours of direct sun a day “although kale and leafy greens can manage in a shadier corner.”
You must have a form of water storage or supply. Mature veg plants can last surprisingly long without water, Huw says, but seedlings need watering every day.
Thirdly, you need space for at least one compost bin, because returning the goodness to the soil is so important.
Huw describes himself as “beyond organic”. He doesn’t use any chemical controls at all, not even those approved for organic use.
“I think there’s too much emphasis on fighting slugs, for example, and not enough on preventing them in the first place.”
February/March is a good time to start your anti-slug patrols.
“Tidy away anything they could hide under. If you leave pots or tools outside, slugs hide under them during the day and emerge at night.”
Once plants are in the ground, he protects them with 30cm bramble clippings.
This works because the slugs don’t like going over them and the brambles don’t root.
What are Huw’s choices for the most underrated vegetables?
“I think that winter root vegetables are very underrated,” he says.
“I’d recommend growing swede, because it’s a low-carb alternative to potatoes and you can leave it in the ground to harvest when you need it.
“And I’d also suggest Jerusalem artichokes.”
He says that if you eat them two or three times over a few weeks, it is possible to build up resistance to the famous side effects!
It’s difficult to be exact about how much space you need if you want to be self-sufficient in vegetables, but Huw has known a couple achieve it with a 7m by 7m growing area.
He advises starting small. You could aim just to be self-sufficient in potatoes, for example, because they store well.
If there is a big job you are dreading, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
This way it will look much less daunting and you will probably get much more done.
“Start your gardening with something gentle like five minutes’ tidying.”
He follows no-dig or low-dig principles to minimise work and to improve the health of the soil.
Huw is now working on his third book, as well as doing more videos and sitting on the RHS Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs committee.