Gardener interviews/Jo

Demographics
Age:


 * 55+

Gender: female

Where do you live? (general area ok) South-east England (Surrey)

Do you live in a house, flat, ??? House with small garden

Do you rent or own? own

Your garden
Tell me about your garden?


 * bought a house where everything was covered in sandstone/gravel which i couldn't abide, so i decided to try raised bed gardening. never tried it before. south side of house has 16x32' kitchen garden - raised beds, pots, bags of soil with wicker surrounds. Likes growing the unusual things that are expensive in shops: asparagus, figs, kiwiberry, incaberries, strawberries and raspberries (obviously, that's what england's famous for), dwarf fruit trees on small root stock in tubs: bramley cooking apple, braeburn, victoria plum, conference pear, 2 x apricots, morepork apricots, nectarine, rhubarb. plenty of various lettuce, mesclun, etc.  ONly thing i've failed completely with is brassicas, apart from chard which I grow not only in beds but also in pouches on the wall etc.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, aubergines, leeks.  About 65 crops in the area! Lots of companion planting, lots of flowers to attract bees (pansies, violas), also marigolds to make pests go away.  Big patch of garlic and onions. Masses of beans (borlotti, runner beans, french beans, broad beans).  Also blueberries.

How long have you been growing food?


 * ever since I had children -- over 30 years ago. I started an area in the tiny garden we had there so the kids could grow carrots and things and understand where food came from.

Why do you grow your own food? What do you like best about it?


 * I know what I"m growing is organic, not coveredi n pesticides and chemicals. I have several allergies and food intolerances, so because i grow/cook my own food I know what I'm eating.  I also love the adventure.

Do you buy fruit/veg from other places? Where? Why do you shop there?


 * I use Waitrose, normally in the winter and just a few other bits during the summer. It's just my husband and I (and kids/grandkids visiting).  4 year old grandson asked if he could have some of his own strawberry plants last year.  He's very proud to be growing his own things.  He's already growing peas and beans.

Do you garden with anyone else/does anyone help you with the garden?


 * Kitchen garden is majority mine, but in the last 2 years has started using a wheelchair, so the heavier work falls to husband or daughter.

Do you know how much you spend on your garden? Supplies, seeds, plants, etc?


 * Probably not. The kitchen garden runs on seed. Other areas -- I tend to pick up things that are cheap, eg. thompson and morgan have cheap small plants which I try and nurture, eg. lavendar to form a hedge.  I try and be economical, but of course using raised beds there's an investment in compost etc.  I do have a very large compost bin.  I loved my Earthmaker when I was in NZ so I purchased one in the UK here.  (It's awesome! It's tall, you put stuff in at the top and stuff moves down by gravity. It gives superb compost and it's quick.)

Where do you buy garden supplies etc?


 * The local garden centre. It's a small family run operation in the grounds of a national trust property. I like to support local.

Where do you get information/help about gardening?


 * I'm exceedingly blessed that 2 miles down the road is the RHS Wisley garden. I cheat -- I go down there in my wheelchair and my husband is fed up with having to push me uphill to the veg garden because I go at least once a month to just see waht they're doing and what I could include.  And also it's nice to see if my whatever is doing better than theirs.


 * I've been gardening since i was a child so I have a good knowledge and a lot of it's common sense, isn't it? You have some disasters, some not. However, there's the RHS book on growing vegetables and fruits -- ALlotment Gardener.  I also use their yearly planner so I know what's gone in and where, so that if something fails miserably I know not to try it again.

What are the *best* sources of information?


 * RHS Wisley -- also has an online forum. Also a magazine called Grow Your Own that I have a monthly subscription.  I don't learn huge amounts but it's good to know what other people are doing.  I started the kitchen garden to grow the more unusual things, but one of the TV gardeners here has released a book called the Home Grown Revolution all about groiwng unusual things.  I was growing chickpeas last year - that was unsuccessful in a wet climate!

Do any of your family members or close friends have veggie gardens?


 * Daughter/grandkids, best friend, my son was aiming to but was too busy.

Do you keep a garden journal or otherwise keep track of what you plant? Tell us about it.


 * RHS garden planner

If no: Would you consider keeping a garden journal? What might inspire or motivate you to do so?

Are you involved in any community groups or organisations related to gardening?


 * Just volunteered to do a couple of afternoons a week at the local garden centre at Clandon.

Online behaviour
Do you have high-speed Internet at home? What do you mostly use it for?


 * Yup (cable), I'm in IT so when I've got work I can do from the kitchen sofa, I work. Also communication with friends in NZ. Email, phone (Skype).

Do you have a smart phone? What kind? What do you mostly use it for?


 * Samsung 2 (older Android). Communication and information -- being disabled I have the phone with me 24/7 in case I get into trouble. Uses apps: the only app I use really regularly is the RHS on my ipad but it's not available for android.

Do you use social networks? Which? What for? How much time do you spend?


 * Don't use Facebook at all -- security issues, doesn't like blatant dishonesty, felt like it was becoming controlling. I use twitter quite extensively.

Do you talk about your veggie garden on social networks? Why or why not?


 * Sometimes -- not extensively. Normally the more unusual things, but I do follow several gardeners and occasionally we have discussions about this or that. Sometimes posts photos including a very strange sweet potato!

Do you pay for any online services/subscriptions? Which and how much?


 * I think I paid a little for the RHS iPad app -- a pound or two for each bit you added in. Paid Dropbox account -- need it for work.

For each service, what makes it worth paying for?


 * It has to prove itself useful. I prefer to buy apps rather than have a free version with adverts. But having said that, I will download the free version to try before I spend.

Do you use any gardening websites or apps? For instance garden planners, trackers, planting guides/reminders, forums, or wikis/encyclopedias of plants?


 * Sutton's the garden people -- home delivery plants and seeds -- do an app called Garden Planner, about 10 pounds for 3 years, so I can track my succession planting and annual planting using that app. I've been in touch asking for a few improvements and changes.

What do you like best about them?


 * I like that I can physically put things in the garden -- I can see where they're going to be -- it gives me the ability to list out everything and show me the cycle of the plants that are there is shown as well, so you can see when they're sowing, growing, ready for harvest, etc. The first year I did put in all the kilos of produce, but I haven't since.

What do you dislike about them?


 * doesn't understand moving containers around, doesn't understand that when you plant in raised beds you tend to plant closer because the ground is all soft.

Growstuff
We're building a website for food gardeners. It's called Growstuff. It's free to use. It lets you:


 * track what you're growing (like a garden journal)
 * post updates and pictures of your garden and share them via social networks
 * research and learn about things to grow, how to grow things, get help with problems, etc
 * see what other people in your local area are growing/talking about, and connect with the local community
 * swap/trade (or potentially buy/sell) produce, seeds, gardening supplies, etc from people near you

Would you consider using a website like this? Again, reiterate: it's free to use.


 * I would, but you'd need to be careful with the swapping of seedlings and plants because in this country people feel bad about swapping plants because they feel like "people have to make money" -- it's discouraged, which is dreadful, because it's what keeps the heritage varieties going.

What part of it sounds interesting or useful to you?


 * I quite like the idea of the visual journal, posting photos. My last garden in NZ on the side of a hill in Wellington and had not been used for many years and the more I worked in it the more you could see of the original plant beds.  I didn't grow food except for lemons and limes and feijoas (so actually I did grow food didn't I?)  It was really interesting and we did take pictures -- not "before" but did take pics of them newly planted and as they grow.  Mind you a vertical garden would not suit me now.


 * Useful: connecting more with local gardeners. There is a horticultural society but I feel rather overwhelmed, being new to the village and disabled, and they all know exactly what they're doing.


 * I'd love to be able to combine my paper journal, online planner, and a visual record to look back on.

We're also thinking of offering a paid upgrade to provide premium features. These might include things like:


 * managing multiple gardens
 * sharing your garden with co-gardeners
 * planning future garden activities and setting reminders


 * in the UK there is a scheme for people who can't manage their gardens to share with people who want to garden. Check growfruitandveg.co.uk

Would you consider paying for something like that?


 * yeah, I would, because it is something I'd use

Which of those features sounded interesting to you?


 * reminders, definitely! I have to pot that apricot before it dies.

Are there any other features that might be cool enough to make you want to buy a premium account?


 * Not sure.

How much do you think would be a reasonable price? (Feel free to compare to other online services, if it helps you think about what are normal sorts of prices.)


 * well, the RHS app I paid about 5 pounds, forever, and it gets updates and stuff, so they're partway there. I think a lot of people like to pay a one-off fee, or a small subscription, eg. 10 pounds for 3 years, which I thoguht was a good deal for my garden planner.

Growstuff works towards social good in a number of ways. For instance:


 * we choose ethical and sustainable providers wherever possible
 * we'll offer free accounts to non-profits/community gardens
 * we make an effort to be accessible and inclusive to all, to respect our members' privacy and self-identity, and to always act ethically in the way we run our online service
 * our software is developed in a collaborative model, working closely with our community
 * we mentor volunteers who want to learn how to code, especially women and people from non-traditional IT backgrounds
 * our software is released under an open source license, meaning greater transparency and trust between us and our community
 * the aggregate data we gather from members is provided under a free/open license for people who are researching or building other tools for food gardeners

Knowing this, would you be more or less likely to pay for a premium account on Growstuff?


 * I tend to only buy ethical stuff myself, so it would make me more likely to buy, from that point of view.

Does this change the amount you'd be willing to pay?


 * You're talking to one of the founding members of BCS Women, so I'm always nto anything that helps women learn technology isn't frightening and is exciting and fun. So yes, I'd probably pay more. And I'll certainly be advocating you on their website when you're up and running.

Other
Anything else you'd like to tell us that we didn't cover in the questions?


 * not really... as long as you remember the point that people move containers around!

Can you put us in touch with anyone else who might like to be interviewed?


 * will get people to email

Would you like to receive our newsletter? (fortnightly, gives updates on our progress and will tell you when Growstuff is launched)


 * Yes!