Floating garden
With the arrival of spring, Helen Gazeley seeks out seeds and plants available on subscription.
ONE of the interests that has seen an upsurge in the last couple of years has been growing plants.
Lockdown saw businesses started by enterprising individuals who wanted to share the enjoyment of gardening in small spaces by supplying plants on subscription. But this is no new idea.
A number of companies offer a regular supply of flowering and edible plants. You might like to check out Silly Greens (sillygreens.com) for a supply of micro-leaf salad, Pot Gang (www. potgang.co.uk) for all-in seeds, compost and pots, and Lazy Flora (lazyflora.com) for a variety of subscription options including edible veg. And, with the cost of living rising to budget-squeezing proportions, learning to grow a few veg might be a good idea.
The problem is that if you’ve never done this before, failure can be offputting. This was the very scenario that gave birth to Pippa Greenwood – trained horticulturalist, gardening consultant, author and regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time – setting up ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa’ 10 years ago.
“I found it so sad that so many people wanted to grow veg and they’d go to the garden centre, and it says plant 45cm apart, in a sunny spot and keep watered and it doesn’t really work,” she said. “Then they give up and never try again.”
A monthly subscription service could be tricky if you’re living aboard, especially as not all give a choice of order and many just provide seeds. However, with Pippa’s scheme there is one delivery on a date in May. You also receive plug plants, so no need for seed trays perched precariously on indoor ledges while things germinate. And there’s no set choice of plants; you choose exactly the veg you want for the containers you have.
“From the beginning, containers have been very much thought about,” said Pippa.
The choice available is interesting but not too challenging for beginners. “They are basically all varieties that people enjoy eating and ‘good do-ers’. Nothing’s a nightmare to grow,” explained Pippa. “And the tomatoes, for example, are an introduction to something that’s not just medium-sized and spherical.”
You can expect plenty of help and handholding. “I email everybody,” she continued. “I warn about when the plants are coming, send an email of things that you might like to do in advance – buy containers, find good quality compost, the right size containers. Information is all on a plant-by-plant basis, so you don’t buy what you don’t need for plants you haven’t chosen.”
Then, every week throughout the growing season, Pippa sends an email detailing tips on feeding, watering, pinching out, defence from pests, and how to harvest the best crops for longest. “I go right back to basics, but not in a condescending way. I don’t like being condescended upon myself.”
What makes a real difference is that Pippa grows everything from the same batch of plants herself, in open ground and containers. This means she knows how things are going and can give specific help on that year’s growing pains. “It’s important to say when something is not doing well,” she stressed. “When the butternut squashes did badly last year because of the weather, I kept everyone informed of my misery,” she said. “I want people to know that it’s not them.”
There’s no doubt that buying seeds yourself would be a cheaper approach upfront, but there’s equally no doubt that this is a way to ease yourself into growing and learn direct from an expert, which means you gain greater confidence and have better success in the short term.
You might, though, find yourself coming back for more. “It’s perfect for the newbie gardener,” said Pippa, “but we also have lots of returning experienced customers who like the quality of the plants and the weekly updates.”
Pippa would love to think her plants are moving around the waterways of England.
“My only foray into water gardening,” she added, “was we once went to open gardens in London. There were narrowboats with gardens and one of the people living on a boat was Thai and cooking Thai food. It was absolutely magical. My kids still remember it, and it still makes my heart sing.”
Do you have a favourite blog or website? Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com