74-year-old gardener has the internet in awe after sharing images of enormous veggies from his garden

Gerald Stratford, a 74-year-old British retiree, has become an internet sensation for the enormous vegetable he has been growing. Stratford, who worked as a butcher and a barge controller on the River Thames, had gardened all his life, but it was not until 2020 that he became internet famous. According to EATER, in May 2020, Stratford had his first big hit: photos of himself wearing a jaunty all-pink outfit in his garden, showing off some veg, with the caption, “My first early rocket very pleased.” His tweet was an instant hit and in the weeks and months that followed, the likes, retweets and followers racked up and they have not really stopped since. Now, with more than 314,000 followers, Stratford finds himself enjoying a newfound platform that few other septuagenarian gardeners can claim.

In a recent interview, Stratford shared some gardening tips and his cheery outlook on life. Stratford spends his days growing “big veg” and sharing his gardening adventures on Twitter in rarely punctuated tweets. He enjoys a newfound platform that few other septuagenarian gardeners can claim. Later, he announced that he would be publishing a book, which has been launched. Not only that but also, he even appeared in a Highsnobiety advertisement for a Gucci collection.

In an interview, Stratford shared that he is always busy and likes to keep himself occupied with gardening. He has been sowing since December 2019, with his partner Elizabeth, in a heated greenhouse. They have planted onions, leeks, cauliflowers, cabbage, peppers, chilies and tomatoes and will start planting zucchini soon. Stratford grows a variety of vegetables and enjoys a challenge. He tries to grow a different vegetable each year and this year he is growing a gourd called a snake gourd. It's like a small zucchini, but it hangs.

According to House and Garden, Stratford's interest in gardening began because he likes gardening. He had spent a lifetime as a serious fisherman, but at times, fishing can be selfish and it's just you and everybody else is forgotten. Stratford decided he was going to cut back and just do gardening. He finds physical activity keeps him fit and it's very therapeutic when he's tending his vegetables.

When asked if he had any gardening tips for beginners, Stratford said that beginners should never get frustrated. If things aren't going as planned, they should stop, do something totally different and come back to it with renewed vigor. Stratford advised gardening for short periods and doing different things to use different parts of the body for different jobs. He believes that not getting frustrated is important because that's when people make mistakes. Stratford also believes people should treat life, in general, this way.

In conclusion, Stratford's love for gardening has given him a platform to share his adventures on Twitter. He enjoys growing big veg and taking up new challenges each year. Gardening keeps him fit and is therapeutic. Stratford has advised beginners never to get frustrated and to treat life, in general, this way. His cheery outlook on life and his love for gardening has made him an internet sensation. He also published a book that shares his gardening adventures.