The Bearded Growers: ‘Once The Gardening Bug Bites, It’s Such A Brilliant Hobby’

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Chris and JJ have known each other since childhood, but it wasn’t until years later and an accidental meeting that the ‘Bearded Growers’ were born.

Now, they host their own horticultural radio show every Monday at 7pm on Cotswold Radio, featuring guests such as Alan Titchmarsh and Adam Frost.

I spoke with them both to explore their gardening ventures and love of allotment growing.

Imagery featured in this article is provided with permission by The Bearded Growers.

What Initially Attracted You To Gardening?

“I was definitely forced into it by my other half, but once the gardening bug bites, it’s such a brilliant hobby for your physical and mental being,” shares Chris.

“My route into the world of gardening was pretty standard,” JJ adds.

“Once I had my own house, I wanted to make the garden look nice and it was something I really enjoyed and took great pride in.”

How Long Have You Been Gardening?

“I’m a relative newcomer to gardening, but for the last 5-6 years I’ve been working on the family allotment,” Chris explains.

“My interest has grown and now I am turning myself into a DIY genius, making everything from a shed to cold frames on the allotment with recycled materials.”

“I spent most of my summer holidays and weekends over my father’s allotment growing up, admittedly taking little to no interest in what was going on,” says JJ.

“Something must have stuck though, as in my late twenties I started pottering about in the garden and trying to make it look nice each summer.

“This grew into a passion which spread to growing vegetables at home and then taking the plunge and getting an allotment.”

How Did You Both Meet?

“We actually went to school together 25 years ago in the Black Country and unfortunately lost touch for 19 years as people do when they leave school,” shares Chris.

“JJ moved to Worcester and I went off on my travels around Europe with work before settling in the Cotswolds. We had a chance meeting and reconnected when we saw each other at a 10k race for charity in Cheltenham about 5 years ago.

“We kept in touch, got chatting and realised we both had allotments and loved getting our hands dirty!”

“We already had connections to the now closed radio station NCCR, as Chris presented a sports show a few years back,” adds JJ.

“When we realised that we both had a shared love of gardening and allotments, we decided to take it one step further and asked NCCR to consider us for a gardening show slot on the station.

“From that, Bearded Growers was born! After 18 months at the station, it closed due to funding, but we were approached by Cotswolds Radio who had heard the show and thought it would be a good fit for them.” 

What Is Your Radio Show About?

“We are the self-proclaimed number 1 horticultural radio show in the UK!” says Chris. “It’s a big statement, but one we say tongue in cheek. We have 2 hours to talk about our gardens, allotments and house plants, plus we get to play music in between.

We are also proud ambassadors for Greenfingers Charity and we do challenges each year to raise money.

“This year, we arranged the Bearded Growers hike, one across the Malvern hills and the other in Lincoln, which raised £2,800!”

“Our main feature has to be the potting shed interview slot,” explains JJ.

“We have had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Titchmarsh, Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Diarmuid Gavin, Lee Burkhill, John Torode, Gregg Wallace, Nikki Chapman, Lee Connelly and Michael Perry to name a few.”

Do You Have A Favourite Guest?

“I’ve got a little man crush on Adam Frost, so having interviewed him 3 times on the show is an absolute honour,” says Chris.

“He is a really nice guy and we could listen to him talk about gardening for hours. His passion and enthusiasm are infectious and we have a good laugh with him whenever we sit down for a chat.”

“Mine was Adam Frost, but we recently got the chance to speak with Alan Titchmarsh and he is a total gentleman who is so engaging,” shares JJ.

“We were both very happy with that interview and it’s definitely a highlight. He was with us for 40 minutes recording sound bites, doing the interview and signing some merchandise for charity.

“He even recognised us at Chelsea and came to say hello and shook our hands!”

What Lies Ahead For The Bearded Growers?

We are hosting the Worcester Show in August, which is very exciting as we are going to be helping hand out the prizes in the craft, floral and veg growing competitions and we have judged the allotment competition this year,” says Chris.

“Plans are also in motion for a beginner’s guide to allotmenting book and a murder mystery allotment-based thriller.”

“We are hopefully going to be involved with more horticultural shows toward the end of the year and will be live every week on the radio show,” shares JJ.

You can tune in to the Bearded Growers’ radio show online, via a smart device or via the Cotswolds Radio app at 7pm every Monday.