WillGrow cultivates the relationship between function and aesthetic. Veg growing of yesteryear was relegated to the margins and my quest is to bring it to the fore by encouraging the introduction (or reintroduction) of edible varieties within gardens and landscapes of all shapes and sizes. Your space has the potential to serve a bigger purpose and your enjoyment of it can flow from the garden to your kitchen.
On paper, I am an organic kitchen gardener. My energy for the subject was sparked in the family allotment as a child and has only grown through time at agricultural college and then over ten years at Park Farm, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage HQ, with five years spent as Head Gardener.
Park Farm is a unique place. The site plays many different roles on a daily basis; the garden and farm need to provide for each situation, so my job was to balance production and quality with beauty and function across 100 acres using organic methods. The ethos at River Cottage has always been that of eating seasonally and ethically, and this is something that I have taken with me.
The French had it almost right. A potager is an artistic space where vegetables, salads, herbs and fruit are grown ornamentally. Often wasted, the harvest was not the end goal. My garden ideals are where beauty and function merge; an organic, joyful space that provides delicious food and conservation crops. Simple, really.
The garden at Park Farm was featured in The Secret Gardeners : Britain’s Creatives Reveal Their Private Sanctuaries (published by Frances Lincoln, 2017).
I’m based in West Dorset, but am happy to travel.
Getting to know your weeds is half the battle, especially in organic growing.
If debating whether or not growing your own vegetables is worth the effort, you need only bite into one of your own ripe tomatoes to have all the affirmation needed.