To many younger people, getting out into the garden is something that the older generation does to while away the hours.
Of course, they’re wrong, and to prove it, Dobbies has announced a partnership with the future face of gardening, encouraging next generation of gardeners to get growing.
The garden centre is to work with leading YouTuber Huw Richards. With a popular gardening channel, Huw’s Nursery, Richards has already been proclaimed as the future of gardening and ‘next Alan Titchmarsh’ by the likes of The Time, Guardian and Telegraph.
Working with Dobbies Garden Centres to produce easy to follow gardening how to’s, Huw is hoping to help encourage the next green-fingered generation to head outside and get growing.
Nineteen-year-old Huw began growing food on his family’s smallholding in mid-west Wales at the age of three and uploaded his first gardening video to YouTube when he was twelve. Since then, his friendly manner and gardening know how has seen his channel, attract more than 20 million views online.
With National Allotment Week running until 19 August, to celebrate how important allotments and other open spaces are for local communities, Huw predicts that the future of gardening lies in edible plants.
He said: ‘I believe it is more important than ever that we learn about how our food is grown and produced, and the best way to do that is to utilise our spare windowsills, backyards, balconies and patios to create bountiful areas to grow delicious fruit and vegetables.
Huw Richards in his greenhouse (Photo: Keith Morris)
‘The satisfaction of eating your own homegrown peas or tomatoes is incredible and I hope that this exciting partnership with Dobbies will help inspire more households to grow their own produce.
‘I will be very boring and admit that tomatoes are easily my favourite thing to grow. I must warn you if you decide to grow your own tomatoes, after you have tasted a homegrown tomato straight from the plant and still warm from the sun, any other tomato elsewhere will be a disappointment.’
Huw revealed what inspired him to start gardening and sharing this on YouTube: ‘A friend of mine began creating gaming videos when I was 12 years old and this inspired me to begin creating videos about gardening. It very quickly consumed my life but it is so incredible to know that I am helping people around the world to grow their own food.
‘I feel there is going to be a stronger swing from people to grow plants which they can also eat, especially in a small space.’
And for those who are unsure of whether to pick up a trowel, Huw added: ‘Stop pondering and start doing. There is only so much you can learn from books and videos, the best way to learn is to get stuck in and give it a go yourself and be prepared for failures. Begin small, and as you build confidence you can expand your growing area.’
Dobbies’ partnership with Huw will also see him attending a special Dobbies Little Seedlings Club, the retailer’s free-to-join gardening club for children ages 4–10, in September.
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