'Sparrows Ate The First Plants I Grew!'

'Sparrows Ate The First Plants I Grew!'

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The first plant I ever grew 

I made a small rice paddy in my garden when I was about 10. I thought the process of growing rice was very curious compared to any other plant. I was so excited to see it mature in the autumn, though, just before harvesting, the crop suddenly disappeared – the sparrows had eaten them all!

The plant that shaped the gardener I am today 

When I was a trainee at The Savill Garden at Windsor Great Park I lived in a cottage which had a small allotment. My then boss, Mark Flanagan, the late Keeper of the Gardens, saw what I was growing and instantly suggested I should work in a kitchen garden.

My favourite plant in the world