OVER a million Irish gardeners regularly – with 340,000 growing vegetables at home.
But some gardeners may be shelving tools for the winter, one expert has insisted there is still work to be done in the colder months.
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Even in the cold season there is still a lot of gardening to doPhoto credit: Getty Images – Getty
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Adam Frost is urging people to keep digging, whatever the weatherPhoto credit: BBC
Gardeners’ World favorite Adam Frost urged people to keep digging, whatever the weather.
Adam below says: “I know the weather can be wild but I still go out in November, December and January. Even just pushing some pots around and taking a look always makes you feel better.
“And for those who don’t have a garden, there’s also a big increase in community gardens. Numerous surveys show that green spaces are good for our well-being, mental and physical health.
“You reduce your stress levels. I know it’s always been like that for me.”
The BBC presenter was amazed at how the hobby has grown during lockdown. Recent surveys now estimate that around 1.3 million people in 1 million households in Ireland say they garden regularly, almost a quarter of the population.
They were mostly female (69 percent) and four in ten were over 55 years old. About 75 percent of all adults believed gardening was good for mental health.
Three out of four found digging “painful”; yet 95 percent believed it keeps them fit and active.
Adam left school at 16 and started working for the North Devon Parks Department before moving to London to work as a landscape gardener.
He made his name when he teamed up with broadcaster and horticulturalist Geoff Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland.
He rose to prominence himself after winning seven gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and becoming an ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society in 2014. Then in 2018 he joined the Gardeners’ World team led by Monty Don.
Adam, who lives in Lincolnshire with his wife Sulina and their four children, says: “I didn’t realize how important the show was to people until I was on it.
“Then we had the lockdowns, which really made it clear what the outdoors meant to people.
“When that theme tune plays and people sit down with a glass of wine while Monty walks out, the world seems a better place. And let’s face it, the world seems to be in chaos. There seems to be a different crisis every week.
FIVE THINGS TO DO
WHILE the weather is getting chilly, Adam says gardeners need to get further out. Here are five tasks you need to do this month.
DO NOT LEAVE
AUTUMN leaves are one of the most valuable materials – for composting. They are high in carbon and small enough to be incorporated into an established compost pile.
Using them also helps tidy up your garden without filling up your garbage can.
DIG IN
This is a good time to start planting. It’s best to choose smaller plants like perennials and dahlias, which you can buy in small pots and will last a long time.
If you plant trees, a small one will cost less and will establish itself without support.
TO CLEAN UP
Sorting your garden now will make your work easier next year.
Clean tools and put away objects that are lying around. Get rid of weeds and crop residue for a neater look.
GOOD IDEA
GIVE the outdoor area a pop of color with hanging baskets, which are cheaper to buy in the fall and winter.
Fill with plants like fuchsias or petunias.
TOOL DOWN
Tools that lie unused over the winter must be cared for. Clean lawn mowers and brush cutters, removing dirt and grass, and scrub with a bristle brush.
Coat metals with an all-purpose oil and store in a dry place until the warmer months return.
“But sitting in the garden or at home for half an hour and watching someone else garden on TV takes the insanity away.”
Adam insists that more and more younger people are taking a keen interest in gardening.
Adam, 53, says: “Today’s children are more aware of their environment and where their food comes from because they learn it in school.
“We’ve also seen a huge surge in the popularity of houseplants. Gardening seems to have gotten cooler.
“Growing up, all my buddies fucked me all over. They’d say, “Oi, Frosty, are you going to be a gardener?” I didn’t have much of a choice – it was either that or join the army or become a chef. But I liked the idea of being outside.
“And kids love to get their hands dirty with rubber boots. I loved it when I was a kid. It gave me a freedom you didn’t have anywhere else.”
That’s why he thinks everyone should keep gardening.
He says, “Get warm and get going. ‘Cause I know when I’m pissed, gardening life slows down. Digging your hands into the ground, cultivating something to support your family, there is something beautiful and simple about it all.”
