From Garden Novice to Instagram Sensation: Adam Marshall's Green Finger Journey

I'm delighted to welcome you to another blooming episode of The Cutflower Podcast. Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Adam Marshall, known as Green Fingered City Boy on Instagram. Adam's journey from a complete novice to a gardening sensation is truly inspiring. Join us as we explore his story, his passion projects, and how he has captivated nearly 70,000 followers with his relatable and engaging content.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, I sit down with Adam Marshall to discuss his incredible transformation from a non-gardener to a beloved Instagram gardening personality. Adam shares how he discovered gardening just before the 2020 lockdown and how it became a vital part of his physical and mental well-being. We talk about his ambitious projects, the challenges he's faced, and how he manages to balance a full-time job with his gardening and social media commitments. Adam's journey is a testament to the therapeutic power of gardening and the impact of sharing your passion with a community.

Key Takeaways:

1. Gardening as Therapy:
   • Adam began gardening to improve his physical health, discovering it also offered tremendous mental health benefits.
2. From Novice to Expert:
   • Despite starting with little knowledge, Adam's dedication and enthusiasm have made him a proficient gardener.
3. Leveraging Social Media:
   • By sharing his gardening journey on Instagram, Adam has built a large and supportive following, inspiring many to start their own gardening adventures.
4. Tackling Big Projects:
   • Adam discusses how he approaches large gardening projects and the importance of breaking them down into manageable steps.
5. Balancing Act:
   • Balancing a full-time job with his gardening passion, Adam shares his strategies for managing his time effectively.
6. Community and Support:
   • Adam emphasises the importance of building a supportive community and collaborating with others in the gardening world.
7. Personal Growth and Overcoming Challenges:
   • From plant failures to winning a gold award at Gardeners' World Live, Adam talks about the ups and downs of his gardening journey.

Get in Touch:

• Follow Adam Marshall:
  • Instagram: @greenfingeredcityboy
  • Website: Green Fingered City Boy Merchandise

Join Us Next Time:

Thank you for tuning in to

First Tunnels, leaders in domestic and commercial product tunnels. 

• https://fieldgateflowers.kartra.com/page/newsletters
• A Cut Above Waitlist: https://fieldgateflowers.kartra.com/page/ACutAboveWaitlist
• The Growth Club: https://fieldgateflowers.kartra.com/page/thegrowthclub
• Lots of free resources on our website: https://thecutflowercollective.co.uk/cut-flower-resources/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fieldgateflowers
• Facebook Group 'Cut Flower Farming - Growth and Profit in your business' https://www.facebook.com/groups/449543639411874
• Facebook Group 'The Cut Flower Collection' https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutflowercollection

Transcript

 Roz Chandler  00:00

Okay, I'm delighted today to welcome Adam Marshall from Green fingered city boy as he's known on Instagram. So please tell our listeners, Adam, a little bit about you about your background and how you have today managed to achieve nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram.

Adam Marshall  00:16

Hi, Roz. Thank you for having me. Yeah, it's been a little bit crazy. So I started gardening in 2020. Actually, just before lockdown. I know a lot of people sort of got into gardening during lockdown. And before that I hadn't ever really garden, my mom was always into gardening when I was a kid. And she used to let me stay up sort of late on a Friday night, if I watched Grand Forks and gardeners world with her. But it was never sort of something that I sort of thought would be sort of my hobby. And then basically, in 2019, I had sort of trouble with pains in my hands and arms. And I went into 2020, wanting to sort of take back control of my physical health and increase the career path of my physical capacity. And so I saw gardening as a way of doing that, because you sort of you hear that gardening is good exercise for older people, and so forth. Well, I can sort of do that. And then, so I started just before locked down, and then just fell in love with it. Obviously, locked down, I worked through lockdown. I designed packaging for a pharmaceutical company. So it was sort of like critical workers sort of thing, key workers. And so yeah, I worked all the way through, but obviously, everything was closed. And so all my free time went into going into the garden and trying to transform a space. And yeah, the the sort of projects just got bigger and bigger. I ended up in a&e during lockdown and got told off by a nurse because I caught my Lego version. I don't feel that she ever really spoken about on my Instagram. But yeah, like I just I've just totally fallen in love with it. And then a year later, I joined Instagram in 2021. And just started creating to begin with I just posted photos of my garden, and not really one for sort of taking photos of myself. And then I just sort of started making a few videos just sort of messing around. And it's just sort of snowballed from there really.

 Roz Chandler  02:32

I've seen them. I've seen how you made. I've seen how you make. I mean, your projects are very adventurous, I would say, you know, aren't going to be able to pawn or I'm going to be at a shelter. And I'm going to do this and they are quite large projects.

02:48

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, definitely. I think I've seen my mum and dad do sort of projects in their own garden, as I've sort of grown up. And so I think I can sort of see that a lot more as possible than maybe you sort of first realised that my mom and dad have got a new build. And when we first sort of moved into there, it was just mud, just totally more apart from they sort of had a little bit of slabs, like down one side. And And so growing or although I sort of didn't really get involved that much. I was around like them transforming that garden. And to the point where I as a kid dog, my mum and dad's pond. They did a pond in their garden and so I dug it, I had nothing else to do with it. But I sort of it I think that sort of it made me aware that I like a lot more as possible that maybe you sort of first thing my granddad one of my granddad's. He's very much always been into his Koi. So I've always grown up with him having various large koi ponds, my other granddad's into growing veg and so I like he's got like the most insane sort of grape vines and the grows all sorts of fruits and veg. And so although I never was sort of into it myself, I was I think I was sort of subconsciously very aware of what what is sort of possible from sort of ordinary people just having a go in their garden.

Roz Chandler  04:35

I think he's made it quite cool because like you go go back to gardening was traditionally let's call this pre COVID very much an old person's hobby. You know, a person driving a Volvo with a hat and does some gardening. Right You know, if you did a survey, that's what we would have all said, you know, that's what gardening is. The actual truth of it is that garden is physically and mentally at takes a lot of effort. It's physically I mean, running a flower farm, I was out there today thinking actually, physically, this is quite hard work. So I don't, and I think Instagram has made it across the board, quite cool for everybody to have a go at gardening. And I think you've made it cool for people to access that anyone can do it. Because tell us about where you garden what your environments like.

05:20

So I My garden is quite large, sort of for nowadays. Because obviously, gardens are getting smaller and smaller aren't there. And it's basically the lady that we've got the house off, she was very much into a garden. But it was quite a sort of traditional garden. I've got good soil, though, which I think I'm very lucky. And so that allows that has sort of been forgiven in some terms of when I've planted stuff. The soil isn't the work for me. And do you see I'm saying so. And where I live, is that there's a allotment at the back of my house, but actually where I live that land used to be allotments back in the day. And so I think I've had a head start in that sense. Because obviously, more and more people are sort of gardening within new builds. And obviously, it's, it's tough, it's, it's very sort of tough for those sort of conditions, and you've got Rubble in there and stuff like that. Yeah, no, I think I have sort of tried to portray that. Garden in is sort of for everyone, I do try and sort of have a playful sort of attitude towards it, and try and just show that, like, I am literally just someone who's just gotten into the garden to have a go, and that anyone can sort of be doing what, like I am doing, you know, I mean, because sometimes I think it's very easy to sort of doubt ourselves, when we are a lot more capable than what we maybe first realise.

Roz Chandler  07:05

Yeah, I think having a goal is a really good thing. There are some, you know, there's some really easy things like you know, direct sowing or, you know, buying perennial plants to put in or, you know, can start your container gardening, it doesn't have to be a massive project, it can be just a step in the right direction. It's like a bit at a time.

07:21

Yeah, definitely. And I also think that like, so I've come into gardening, and there's so many like, it's such a broad thing, there's so many different things that you can do within gardening, that even to the point where you can the garden outside, or you can be you can garden inside and do your houseplants or Tariro rooms and stuff like that. And so I've come into gardening, and I've been that well, what do I enjoy most? I don't even know because I've you lamb not tried everything. And I think so that's one thing I've tried to do is just try everything. And there's certain things which I haven't enjoyed as much as others. And I do enjoy a project and trying to sort of, like, transform the space and show what's possible. But yeah, I think that's, that's one important thing is just to try as many things as you can, because there might be something that you actually really, really enjoy that you don't you haven't actually realised yet, I mean that you might be sort of growing things from seed, and then all of a sudden, new try, and you start growing a few days from today. And you enjoy that even more than sort of what you've been doing. And because you find that the flowers are even better for picking to take back into your house or dish I'm saying that there's so many different sort of facets to gardening that it's a broad subject. And so yeah, that's, that's the sort of angle I've come at it with is that I've just tried everything to try and see how that what I enjoy. And to be honest, sometimes we've sort of social media side of things. That's I'm sort of penalised for that, because we've sort of social media, they like you're doing the same thing over and over again, because then your audience that you've built built, or they're they're definitely enjoying every single one of your videos. And that's why you see some people just below or because every single one of their reels is very, very similar. And so like people who've already liked them, they like them again and again and again. And I think sometimes my content is a little bit scattered gone, because I'm sort of trying everything and just trying to have fun with it and enjoy it and trying to sort of learn what I'm sort of most passionate about, because I've discovered this thing and I don't know yet

Roz Chandler  09:41

you still managed 70,000 followers so you haven't done it. I think it's more that people follow you because you you know they they can relate you're relatable and I think we can do that he's done that project we can do that and I think that's more it. I think, you know, from a gardening point of view, I cannot grow vegetables. You know how can a flower farm or not grow vegetables the most ridiculous thing on this planet? I've been growing for flower farming for 12 years. But for me, it's all about cut flower production is all about, if you like dailies and tubers and bulbs and give me give me vegetables, not so sure about those.

10:12

And and I've literally got that within my family. Do you know what I mean? Because like so one of my like one of my granddad's is very much into his veg like and all that, it just doesn't get why people would want to grow flowers, you see what I'm saying. Whereas my other granddad with the koi pond, he will grow on his bed, and he will buy little plug pot plants and he'll grow on and he'll plant out all these flowers in his garden to sort of make it look nice. You see, I'm saying and it's like, we're all different. And this all that there's so many different things that sort of make us tick, and is about sort of finding that thing that sort of like lights that sort of fire inside us. And

Roz Chandler  10:54

I don't ask how many hours you spend in your garden a week.

10:59

Well, I have to do slight Power Hour gardening, because obviously I've got little

Roz Chandler  11:06

priorities.

11:07

And when I'm out there, he's literally banging on the windows and waving and he finds it hilarious. Just carrying on doing that over and over again.

Roz Chandler  11:17

Early in the morning or late at night, it's your duty then out in the garden.

11:20

Yeah, basically, if weekends, I have to get so much done on weekends, because obviously, I've got a job. And so yeah, like, obviously evenings, I can get a little bit done, but not not really much. Because obviously, I want to spend time with Jay. So yeah, I have to sort of utilise my weekends and garden is my sort of main hobby Now apart from sort of going and watching files. Apart from that gardening is my main hobby, and when I'm out there have to utilise my time well, and sort of like record lots of content in a good space of time. And then I've got content there that I can sort of basically edit throughout the week, to then share people with with people through the week, do you not? I mean, I don't I don't, I don't ever want to sort of get to a point where I'm like, not necessarily showing people what I'm doing in the garden at that point. You know, try and steal. I'm showing people as I go along. But it's probably sort of like, through the week, I'm showing people what I've done last weekend type thing.

Roz Chandler  12:25

Yeah, so it's relevant just like us. You know, I think tomorrow we're going to deadhead some roses and roses and disbud dalias or something like that. So it has to be relevant to what the time of the year that you're actually doing so but you have, yes, enormous amounts of content.

12:39

Yeah, it is. And this is the this is the disadvantage we have within sort of like the gardening niche when creating content, because there's lots of other niches where they can sort of recycle their content all the way through the year really, really easily. Whereas AI and all other sorts of sites, social media gurus, they will tell you to do that. But we can't like sort of repost, planting day the tubers, like in a month's time or because it was too late by then you can't be Duchamp. So you have to sort of even if it's sort of using that content and show him what it turns into, you still got to sort of edit that content up and re sort of purpose that content, you can't just be recycling new content, like a lot of other niches are able to do.

Roz Chandler  13:29

I mean, I think if I say tulip bulbs and tulips people think I was completely nuts. Maybe daily a world now. So but yeah, it's um, I mean, yeah, it is about content is about reels. But ultimately, people follow you because they like what you're doing, you're relatable. And they think they can do it too, which is how I came across you and thought wow. So tell us about your growing space. How big is it?

13:55

Don't know, you know, I've never measured it. So it's so I live in a semi detached house. So it's a little bit wider than my house as a driveway down the side? And sort of lengthwise. I don't know. 20 metres? I don't know. But so it's got it's got a path straight down the garden. Because my thing was, if I want to get to my shed, I want to get to my shed. And actually it's very interesting, my God because I designed it in zones and the reason I designed it in zones is because obviously it is quite a large garden. Yeah. And so it was more manageable to sort of do it in zones and focus on each space at a time. And yeah, I just found that sort of like a lot easier. Now having the straight path going all the way down. Arden is very interesting because a lot of sort of garden designs now, they'll have sort of twisted or curved parts. Yeah. And yeah, it was a conversation with my brother in law. He says what you do not want, like the past sort of going round in a journey. And I was like, No. I want to get to my shed. And I was actually gardeners world live in 2020 when it was in the autumn, it was the end of or no, it was at the end of August or early September, I remember. And basically, Monty Don was speaker and the US Monty Python, if you read it your space your garden, would you do it differently? And he said, two things. He says I wouldn't use box because my box has been destroyed, obviously, blight and that. And the other thing he said is I'd have more curved paths, he said, but when I did my garden, I wasn't in the best space. And so I wanted everything sort of tidy and in its place, and I wanted my path straight so I could get to where he wants to go. And it was crazy, because I'd never heard him say that. But then that was exactly how I sort of designed my garden myself. So yeah, I think that's why I sort of designed my garden the way I did, because at that point, although it was triggered by sort of like the physical health that the problems I was having. I wasn't in the best sort of space mentally because of that. But obviously, over time, the garden sort of strengthened me, both physically, and obviously nurtured me mentally. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah, definitely. And that's what my beautiful board was about gardeners world live, that sort of journey through the garden.

Roz Chandler  17:02

Talk to us about that beautiful board at done. You were very modest about that. You just slip that one in. But when I saw it, I thought, Gosh, you're very modest about that. Tell me about that journey. How do you involve? What was it? What did you have to do? Massive. So

17:14

I was on a tick tock live. And with a guy called gardening with Ben, who's always on tick tock. And so I jumped on with her and was chatting and then garden designer called Kate Mason joined in the chat. And she just said, why don't you do a beautiful border gardeners world live now I didn't know that anyone could do it. And I was like laughing. And then we sort of was chatting and then she's on. Anyone can do it. You can apply? I just thought I'd love to do it. The problem was this was on sort of like the Wednesday or Thursday. And the the application deadline was the following Monday who right? And so obviously, I was at work in the week. So for if I can't stop thinking about it, when we get to the weekend, I'll do a design over the weekend. I'll send it in, and we'll just see, we'll let you know. I mean, if it if it if it gets in it does it doesn't mean it's meant to be. So yeah, we did that. I drew my designs sent them in. And I got accepted. And yeah, obviously, Instagram allowed me to have relationships with amazing sort of companies. And so they sort of backed me and supported me on the journey. And, and yeah, when did I tapped in? I'm a big believer with about, like, sort of tapping into other people's sort of expertise and sort of building each other up. And so I was sort of getting help from other people that obviously I'd put my design in and everything. Yeah, but sort of like the build wise. I was sort of asking people like, so show gardens. Beautiful borders that what do you have to do? Like, is there anything you would sort of recommend? Yeah, I mean, and just tapping into people's sort of knowledge and learning from them. And then, yeah, we went to the build my brother in law, who's got his own landscaping company who did my patio. He came with me when we built it. And yeah, it turned out it turned out good.

Roz Chandler  19:22

And it was meant to be your journey is that what it was represented? Was it represented the beginning to the end? What What was the whole? Yeah, tell them that that's what it represented.

19:31

Yeah, so the theme was my garden escape, which was perfect for me because my garden had been my escape. And I've got a pull up bar in my garden. And it all it all represented, the sort of stuff that the title was about, strengthen your body, heal it Heal your mind and feed your soul. And so it was all about the cloud tree was there and it was framed. By the pull up bar, and the cloud tree represented as the gardener, having created our space and being shaped and nurtured by our garden, and standing tall over our garden, there was fiery colours at the front. And then as you went through the garden, it calmed down. And then at the back, it was more of a mindful space. And it was all about through the garden, how it shapes us and sort of calms us down. And then on the pull up bar arch, it said, under this pressure, under this way, we are diamonds taking shape. And obviously referencing pupils true worth, which sometimes, we tend to forget, there was sort of stepping stones going through to sort of symbolise it sort of slowing us down from the sort of fast pace of life. And yeah, it was, it was all about sort of like what gardening is sort of done to make that for me. And what I've given me so it, I pay a lot of people ask me about the design process and how I came up with it. But like, it was just me telling people my journey and my story. So it didn't really sort of take me long to do the design, because it did not I mean, it was it was just me telling my story through that sort of design space.

Roz Chandler  21:17

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Was it amazing doing it all and being at the show and seeing other gardens and talking to other people? It was a whole thing?

21:26

Yeah, surreal. It's, it makes you appreciate, show gardens and borders and everything so much more, because you see, sort of how much love and effort people put into them. How much hard work and and yeah, so you after doing one, you definitely look at things differently. Because you it allows you to appreciate them so much more.

Roz Chandler  21:54

And you were judged, or was it part of what happened then?

21:57

Yeah, yes, yes. So you're judged? I came up with gold.

Roz Chandler  22:05

That's like, you know.

22:08

Yeah, so yeah, but I don't think I've really sort of spoken to this, with like, to a lot of people about this, I don't think I really sort of appreciated the achievement until sort of talking to the public and talking to the designers and stuff throughout the week. And then sort of then I sort of started to realise actually, like, I mean, and I'm not very good at taking compliments as it is.

Roz Chandler  22:36

Every weekend, you know, you haven't ever done it before. And you've got a gold machine. Actually, we need, it's not something you do every day that you are not an garden designer, you are not a landscape, you are not you do something completely different for your job. It's creative, but nowhere near what you are in terms of designing a garden and also different designers Shogun is very different. Because he's got a lost, and it's got a short period of time. And I've often wondered how you put trees in these things and how you make them survive. Because you know, what goes on underneath is quite interesting. But it's like, Oh, my goodness, I think getting a goat. I think it's a massive achievement.

23:17

Yeah, thank you. I

Roz Chandler  23:19

didn't think he shouted loud enough. I've changed my whole of my Instagram to a gold colour for a few days.

23:27

Well, I do have put in my Instagram now gold award winning design.

Roz Chandler  23:34

Bio. I would do. So would you do it again?

23:44

I wouldn't do a border again, just because that's the best I could have done. Yeah, in sense of, I could go back and I could I could sort of do a border and sort of do it to make sure I gain marks in certain areas in order to get that platinum. Yeah, in the sense of I got marked down because certain plants I put in wouldn't be planted like that in the horticultural world. So I could sort of, yeah, be a little bit more mindful about that and sort of stay within the lines and the boxes and sort of try and go after that platinum. But that borders just it was just that everything went into that that was that was my sort of journey that was that there was so much of my identity in that design that no beautiful border I do would actually ever be better than that. So if I did something again, it would be a show garden. And sort of yeah, just continuing in in that sort of direct

Roz Chandler  24:57

siara Hampton Court or you know how any room I'm open, if any show like I interviewed Dr. Olivia Chappell, who heads up ratios, guns. Oh, she's gotten to the ones in spinal units all over the UK. So they've got eight gardens now. And they've got three more to do. And then I've got one in all of the spinal units in the UK. So it's amazing, amazing charity, and I support them as much as I can. And she, she did, they did for the first time and her ratios garden at Chelsea. And she said, and she was just as modest. And she got a gold and actually Best of Show, and it's the first time we've ever done it. And the garden was amazing. And it was all it was designed. Because obviously, if you've had a spinal injury, you're now generally either lying flat on your back, or you're in a wheelchair, you're a different to everybody else. So but what they didn't want to do was build a garden, which was only suitable at one level, because that was only suitable for people with as foreigners. What about the families? What about the children? What about the rest of it. So they built it really varying levels, taking into account that kind of mindset of somebody who's had a spinal injury, and they kind of said, you know, you're never gonna walk again, or your life's gonna change. And, of course, that can happen to any of us, we could just be in a car accident today. And that can happen. And so she was equally as modest. But that kind of thing was like, whoo, they've designed this garden with a fur, you know, and they're now taking that garden and moving it to Sheffield, they're gonna put it in Sheffield spinal unit. And so, so who knows where you're going to be?

26:32

We'll see. There was, I was at D today, hopefully, like talking to a few possibilities. So we'll see. Oh, where are you?

Roz Chandler  26:46

So what's your what do you think has been your biggest challenge in all of this in your gardening journey?

26:55

As a verbal question,

Roz Chandler  26:57

you come across a challenge.

27:00

So there's always been various challenges, I think there always is when you sort of put yourself out of your comfort zone. One of the so when I first sort of started getting into the garden, I bought some aces off of Amazon. And they came and I planted them all. And I put them in a spot where I thought they looked really nice. And they will one of them died. And the other to look really sad. And it made me realise that for plants like different conditions, and then so if I'm going to make my garden look nice, I need to learn what plants like what conditions and where I put these aces was to expose basically. And yeah, they the wind just absolutely destroyed them. So I think that was a challenge in lockdown. I was just binge watching old gardeners world episodes on YouTube. And so yeah, so that was a challenge learning lots and lots of plants. And I still got a lot to sort of learn what I know sort of far more than what I did when I started. Obviously, doing the beautiful border was a massive challenge never done it died, you stepping out you comfort zone doing something you put yourself out there. I obviously told socials that I was already doing it before I did it. And it so it doesn't go well. You mess it up in front of quite a few people. So and I think like, every time you do something a little bit different. You do it doing it in front of a lot of people when you sort of just showing that on social media. And I think that's a massive challenge in itself. And I think that takes a certain mindset that you have to sort of get used to, you can't, you can't take certain comments to heart, you've got to sort of laugh certain things off. If you do if you build a bit of shelter that gets near in foot near and 40 million views on Instagram and Tiktok. You've got to be prepared to get lots and lots of comments, say in it say, yeah, what's the point in that? Because now I've got to take my bin out to put something in the bin. And so yeah, so I think that's a sort of challenge in the sense of like, trying to come up with sort of new content, like continuously that interest in but also having the confidence to do that as well because sometimes you're there sort of ready to post You thinking, is this actually?

Roz Chandler  30:03

Is anybody actually gonna watch this? But I think the ones that get the most views actually, probably not what you thought sometimes. Yeah, not got it right. We just we just go with it and see what happens.

30:14

Yeah, definitely like I've sort of edited certain reels to death at times and for this is going to be insane that this is going to do really well and then it just does average Yeah. I tell you what my so I'd had to so the binge shelter ones obviously I've never had a real go over a million by before that and I know various people that had my highest one before that was that sort of 400k Wow, when I put when I was posting that binge shelter one, I'd have not done very well that this the days leading up to it, my rules hadn't been very well. And I was like, I need to post something that's like good tonight as I put myself under pressure. So I was I edited that video in like 1020 minutes at like half, seven at night, and then just chucked it up. And then I've tripped you up on Tik Tok. And then all of a sudden, it was just like a thought for PINet like this, that on tick tock I thought this might actually like go over a million because on Instagram, it was still really slow. And then I woke up the next morning it had gone over a million on Tiktok overnight within sort of 10 hours man. And I think that does show that like sometimes you can overthink these things too much. And that that that video I just sort of edited it just it within 1020 minutes and chalked it up for nothing else of it and I didn't do much engagement because no i You post and then you engage a little bit to try and sort of get traffic onto but I didn't really do that I didn't jump in and it just jumped me in. It's sometimes you just can't know like control or guest what sort of gonna happen with these things.

Roz Chandler  32:10

I'm always the ones that have done better at I've been funny like that I did one a year ago I suppose now where I was lying in bed. And then there was a little speech bubble and they said oh have you put the bins out you put the bins out next one. You put the cat out you put the cat out and then extremely close your polytunnel. No. So you get out and start running down the stairs. Which is ridiculous because there's a garden and the most important thing is a certain times of the year that you have to close that polytunnel. Otherwise, it's yeah. So and that was ridiculous. And people thought that was really funny. So but yeah, you just don't know what's gonna go and what's not gonna go. But I think that's part of it. It's part of the fun. And if

32:45

it Yeah, and I think that's the key thing is, is fun. And I think that's key thing is having fun. And I think you have to make sure you're creating content that you're enjoying doing. So I changed. like certain things, I changed the sort of content style at times throughout being on socials. So to begin with, it was sort of, like I was sort of making like death reels and stuff like that. And I was enjoying doing it, I was having a laugh. But then there's only so many jokes you can sort of make about gardening. And then I was sort of learn like, that they were doing well. So I was still sort of like trying to sort of create them. And I was always sort of do, like my sort of project reorders, where I'm creating something, and then like, sort of then scatter, sort of, like I say funny, but like in speech marks is started to chase you have that actually funny or not what. But it got to the point where I wasn't really enjoying doing the sort of fun night, so sort of those jovial rules as much. And so because of that, I, I actually, subconsciously wasn't trying as hard on them. So they didn't sort of do as well anyway. Yeah. And so I had to sort of then sort of talk to myself and go, Well, what is just me? And what is the problem there? Oh, you're not enjoying making those rules anymore? Well, what roles do you want to make? What roles do you enjoy making? And then that's where I've sort of then transitioned sort of maybe what I create from there, if you get one me Yeah,

Roz Chandler  34:22

yeah. No, absolutely. Well, you can't like say we go back to the fact you've got 70,000 followers. I don't think you're doing a bad job. So I noticed you've got a merchandise range, which again, you keep quite quiet.

34:35

Well, yeah, well, I don't really, ever really talk about it, but I probably should, because I'm paying like, however much a month for the website, but then I never actually tell anyone about it to actually get anything that sort of came from just ruining my T shirts that I was wearing in the garden. And then I just thought oh, because I have some gardening T shirts. Well, that's for when I'm like In the reels and stuff. And so yes, I'd sort of did it and then set it off. But to be honest, I don't really plug it as much as I should, at all really?

Roz Chandler  35:14

I don't think so to

35:15

the point where I'm aware of we're on a t shirt. Sometimes people are surprised at where do you get that from? And, oh, there's someone watch that. Do you not know? No, because they probably know because No, not you've not told anyone.

Roz Chandler  35:29

Secret. So that's a bit difficult.

35:32

That venture is definitely in the negative just because I don't tell it.

Roz Chandler  35:40

Well, maybe this podcast will bring it back in the positive. Your website. So what next Adam, do you ever fancy going off and being a horticulturalist? Or doing it as a job? Or do you kind of think you stick? You're a designer? Aren't you? So you design anyway, you design and you're branding, and you're doing packaging, and so on, which is very creative? Do you ever see working the two working really close together? Or working one part time? On one part time? Do you see if you had a crystal ball? What would your dream be?

36:12

I don't know, really, because I've got a good sort of safe, sensible job. Yeah, I work for a great company. And I work with great people as well. And I never get I never get to Sunday night at work tomorrow night. I mean that genuinely. And I've always said that. And I've, I've, I've been in the position where I have been like that. I mean, I've had a job, where I was sort of like a dread going to work the next day, how boring I found it, you know, I mean, so I do sort of very much sort of value, the fact that like, I don't dread my job. Or so within my, the job I do is very much that it's designed with very much problem solving design, because so I'm a constructional packaging designer. So I designed like the construction of the sort of cartons for pharmaceutical companies. So you're it's more problem solving, if something's not working on packaging lines and stuff like that, if they want sort of new sort of packaging, and then you sort of design it. So it's very much sort of problem solving. And it's, it's not necessarily got to create as much creativity in it as what like sort of that the name was suggests. But I'm very more, I've always been quite a creative person. And I think that's why I've sort of enjoyed gardening so much in the short time that I've done it is that I was probably missing that sort of creativity in my life and sort of yearning for it. And then so doing some gardening, it's sort of like, it's given me that. So yeah, it's a tough one. Really?

Roz Chandler  38:04

Yeah. Yeah, I

38:05

think I'm just going to sort of see sort of how those and sort of, yeah, I'm very much sort of enjoying the sort of journey of everything. Do I mean, that the end of the day, like, the whole sort of gardening side of my life is a hobby I like I do enjoy it, do you? Not? I mean, so yeah,

Roz Chandler  38:27

maybe that's a good thing. You know, who knows? 20 years from now? 10 years from now, you know, when used to in the old days, what would you want to be doing in five years time? You don't think like that anymore? Like, would you want to be doing next month generally, or what you want to be doing in a year and no one can think five years from now because it just changes so quickly. I mean, if I said to you five years ago, you'd never have been where you are now. So who knows in five years, you know, maybe you'll be at a Marshall, the writer, the broadcaster, the person on gardeners world who knows, you know, his work?

38:54

Yeah. So, yeah, this there's certain things I want to do. There's certain things that I don't I'm sort of nervous to even say so that one thing that you said then about like a writer, this I've got like an idea in my head or something in the pipeline, maybe that like, yeah, like I'm even nervous to say it because you have sort of doubted yourself about God. I mean, you almost scared to say out loud because then people were like, oh, like you said this and I was like, Jeremy, they'll hold you accountable for it. So yeah, I'm loving obviously. What I've been doing, I've worked with some amazing companies already who weren't whether it be sort of in their sort of campaigns that non not necessarily gardening companies. Yeah, but like big sort of brands. And but also like, companies within sort of like the gardening world, and really sort of in joy that so far so. Yeah, Yeah, like, what's the space?

Roz Chandler  40:02

I mean, and it changes so quickly because tonight I was just reading something. And it just caught my attention and said, Oh, why don't you turn your podcast into a book using AI. And now, the technology, which there hasn't been to upload your mp three file, and go, right, I want to turn this into a book through using AI and you think, wow, hold on a minute, this is like another world. And then, so that wasn't available six months ago. So or

40:29

also as well, is, it seems like yesterday that it was like turning books into audio. So we've gone backwards.

Roz Chandler  40:40

I know, this is completed. And of course, you can self publish now really easily. I've done two books on Amazon that I self published. And anyone can be a writer, you know, piece of AI and use of copywriting skills and everything in it. As long as you've got something that people are interested in and they want to learn about, then why not? We can all have a say.

41:02

Yeah, and I think that's the thing. I think sometimes people think, sort of, they look around, and they just instantly identify people that sort of know more about them. But it's not necessarily always about knowing the most. It's about actually writing from a perspective, or talking from a perspective or making content from a perspective that people can relate to. People don't follow me because, like, I'm a I'm an amazing gardener, and I know loads about God. But I don't have any shame in saying that's what that's not why people follow me, like people follow me, I think, because they find me a little bit relatable. And maybe I taught they'd be a lot simpler than some other people do. Do. You know, I mean, I think everyone's got that sort of, everyone's got their identity. And I think maybe that's where some people go wrong is that they, they don't stay true to their identity. And they're always chasing, be trying to be someone trying to be something that they're not. And if they actually just slow down and just be like, they had that confidence just to be themselves and chilled out and just sort of went with it, then they probably do far better than what they'd ever sort of realised,

Roz Chandler  42:25

are great, because it's almost like, I mean, social media can be a mental health problem in itself. Because it's got a massive comparator, it sounds like we can let's compare mine or and they put somebody 1000 followers, and I've only got 15. And all their reels are really good, and mine are not so good. And, you know, I think, you know, people relate to me and go on my courses and do my things for different reasons, people read my books for different reasons. And I'm just not going to be someone else. So it's kind of like this, what I say to people Just be true to whatever you are. Because people will say to me again, if they want to be a flower farmer, yeah, but there's loads around my area, and there's too much competition. So hold on a minute, there's loads of Indian restaurants in my local high street, but doesn't mean that they don't, wouldn't open another one. Everyone's different. They've all got their own brand, and the USPS. And you will have if you're a flower farm, or you will have if you decide to sell flowers and be a florist. So you will have it, you'll just be different, and your story will be different. So I try to encourage people just to think their story is really different. I was talking to a GP the other day, and she wants to be a flower farmer, interestingly. And she knows that it's going to be very difficult to transition because a GP she's earning a lot more than she would starting out as a flower farmer and she has to transition very slowly. And we talked about how that might happen. And then we said okay, well, let's have a look at you know, all of your USPS and turns out, yeah, hold on a minute, your medical and you know a lot about medicine, and you're a GP. So let's have a look at that whole kind of mental health and therapeutic and what you can produce and people will listen to you because of who you are, and use what you've got. But Be true to yourself. Don't try and be the flower farm over here who's doing this or the flower farm. Yeah, he's doing that. So

44:03

and also, like, sort of building each other up as well. I think sometimes I see. So like, I see certain instances where people that sort of really competitive even without within that sort of like a socials sort of space. Yeah. And you sort of sense the sort of, like being like a little bit competitive in the sense that sort of standoffish attitude in certain situations, when really like, it's far better to sort of build each other up and sort of go

Roz Chandler  44:34

together. 100%

44:37

Yeah, I think I think you're always gonna get that on us. Unfortunately,

Roz Chandler  44:41

it's a public and it's very, out there. So I don't thank you very much for joining us. It's been an absolute pleasure. I could talk for hours, and you just find you. I think you're an absolute inspiration. People should follow you on Instagram. They should have a look at your website and your merchandise. They should see what's coming next. I can't wait to see what's coming next. I think there's loads that you're not even aware of yet that's going to come next like all of us and it will be amazing but it's an inspiration and I want to thank you for joining me today

45:09

thank you very much for having me I've really enjoyed it thank you