King Of Veg Gerald Stratford Reveals His #1 Top Tip For Gardeners
Contributions From GERALD STRATFORD
Gerald Stratford has been growing his own veg since the age of 4. He is the author of ‘Big Veg’ and is hailed as ‘The King Of Veg’ by his audience - with almost 500,000 keen followers across his various social accounts.
After starting his Twitter account at the start of the lockdown in 2020, Gerald Stratford shot to fame for sharing wholesome images of himself and the vegetables from his garden.
Since then, he’s accumulated almost 500,000 followers across his social media platforms, released his own book ‘Big Veg’ and even featured in a campaign with Gucci.1In The Garden With Gucci Off The Grid. (n.d.). Gucci. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/st/stories/gucci-equilibrium/article/gucci-off-the-grid-highsnobiety
I was lucky enough to speak with Gerald about how it all began.
Can You Tell Me A Little Bit About How You First Got Into Gardening?
“I was about knee-high to a grasshopper, about four years old, I think,” Gerald says. “I used to follow my father around everywhere – he was a very good gardener. I used to just copy whatever he did.
“One day, he gave me a packet of radish seeds and a small pocket of land, around the size of a dinner table, in his garden. He said: ‘You’ve been following me and seen how I do it, so now you go and do what I’ve done.’ So I did.
“The first thing I would do every day would be run down to the garden and see if anything was growing on my patch. After about 7 or 8 days, there were some signs of life and I could see little green dots coming out of the soil.
“Within a month, I pulled one of those radishes and took it to my mother who washed it. I dunked the radish in a tiny bit of salt and ate it, and I’ve been eating vegetables ever since.”
What Does Gardening Mean To You?
“I’m an outdoor person. When I left school, I worked indoors for about 10 years and I didn’t like it, so I had to get a job outside.
“I’ve always been a gardener and wherever I’ve lived, I’ve done a bit of gardening.
“When I’m in the garden, I’m thinking of nothing else. All of my troubles, and I have troubles like everyone else, are not with me.”
You’re Known On Social Media As ‘The King Of Veg’. How Did That Come About?
“In February 2020, right when the pandemic started, I was talking to a friend who asked me if I’d ever thought of going on social media,” Gerald explains. “I hadn’t, so that night, I went and had a look at Twitter.
“I wanted something that was pure and simple for me and my garden – nothing else. No football, no politics, just my garden.
“I didn’t even know how to get onto Twitter. My nephew sorted that for me. I posted a couple of photographs a week and found a few friends. By May, I had around 96 followers and I was quite chuffed about that!
“One day, I had a bucket of potatoes ready to harvest. My partner, Elizabeth, took a few photographs of me harvesting the potatoes. They were nothing special, just nice, home-produced, new potatoes.
“Within minutes, my phone started buzzing and I didn’t know what was going on,” he laughs. “After a couple of hours, it was just non-stop. I even tried to hide my phone to stop it going off, but that didn’t work.”
“I called my nephew again and he told me that I’d gone viral with my spuds. I’d gone from 96 followers to 9,000 in a matter of hours. To this day, I’ve got over 300,000 on Twitter. Collectively, across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, I’ve got around 500,000.
“It’s just been a juggernaut ride since.”
You Bring A Lot Of Joy To People’s Lives. What Does The Online Gardening Community Mean To You?
“At first, I didn’t know what was happening – I really had no clue. But now, I’ve grasped it and understand it more.
“If it makes people happy to send me questions or to talk about me in a nice way, I’m happy. I’m a very positive person and my glass is always half-full. Long may it continue. As long as I’ve got breath in my lungs, I’ll be nice to people.
You Have Written Your Own Book, Big Veg. What Do You Think Is The Best Tip In There?
“Patience,” Gerald simply says. “We all live a stressful life of running around and working, people are constantly doing things.
“A garden and just a little bit of patience will be your saviour.”
Do You Have Anything Exciting Coming Up?
“I get lots of invites to exciting places,” he shares. “I’m going to Gardeners’ World Live in June and I’m at Tatton Park in July.
“Still, whatever I’m asked to do will never overtake my garden, because without my garden, I’m nothing.”
What Would You Say To Those Who Are Thinking Of Growing Their Own A Go?
“Don’t try to do everything at once, just do a little bit at a time.
“Spend 20 minutes doing one thing, then 20 minutes doing another; don’t try to do everything in a day. That way you won’t get bored or frustrated.
“Just embrace it.”
