I’d love to say this is my greenhouse, but it’s of course that west London den of horticultural chicdom Petersham Nurseries. I was there on Saturday morning to lead a Grow Your Own Veg Gardening Clinic – which, thankfully, despite its name didn’t involve latex gloves or surprising rashes. if you squint you can see me babbling and slightly ruining the earth floor-mismatched garden chair degagee scene.
The crowd were lovely – keen gardeners one and all – and I hope I was vaguely useful to them. Lots of questions about how to get rid of slugs, snails and cats, those nemeses of the urban gardener. Also how to ripen green tomatoes and how to grow potatoes in containers. I can’t think of a nicer place to be on a rainy Saturday autumn morning.
Afterwards I was given a lovely personal tour of the gardens by Petersham Nurseries owner Francesco Boglione. Particularly interested to see their fab veg garden, complete with chickens and yet more gorgeous greenhouses, just completed but made entirely from reclaimed materials so positively groaning with charm. One day my part brick, part glazed, vents opening in the roof greenhouse will come. Until then, it’s back to Greenwich and my 6 foot by 4 foot aluminium beast.
