A story of a first-time gardener

Rick Smith Resident of Teesside

At the age of 60 I have reached a significant milestone in my life.

I have given up paid employment and become "a pensioner" after being made redundant from a local further education college.

I really enjoyed my working life and I think it is important to have a positive attitude no matter what comes up.

So once it became apparent that my job had disappeared I decided it was time for a change and a move forward.

I picked up an old packet of tomato seeds and went into the greenhouse in the garden which hadn't been used for about six years after my father died.

Rick learning the ropes at during his gardening course

That was the start of the bug and I started to become a first-time gardener.

First crops

Over the next 12 months I had lots of successes with tomatoes and salad crops but lots of failures also, which I suppose you can put down to my inexperience or as I prefer to see it "my youthfulness".

I started to make use of a deep bed that had been constructed in the garden a couple of years earlier and cultivated by my wife.

It was tremendously satisfying to see crops develop and grow and it afforded great relaxation and peace.

However I soon realised that my lack of knowledge had to be remedied and I was encouraged to enrol on the gardening course by my friend and former colleague Jo Smith.

It is my intention to make the garden more productive over the coming years and to become self sufficient in providing salads and herbs etc throughout the year.

Read about the course Rick attended

In pictures: Preston Lane Allotment, where Rick learnt his new skills

Quiet time

The course has been a tremendous stimulus and immensely satisfying and it finishes at the same time that we are preparing our gardens for the winter hibernation.

"It was tremendously satisfying to see crops develop and grow"

I now realise that this doesn't mean that gardening ends it is simply the end of the beginning and I am now beginning to prepare and ready things for the coming spring.

I now realise that I should have planted a green manure to overwinter and John our tutor who is a similar age to me is teaching me much and I am looking forward to embarking on the spring term course.

I hope to keep you informed through these pages of how things are going over this quiet time in the garden, in particular my battle with the bramble bush in my garden which John assures me needs to be pruned back if I am to have more delicious brambles!