Bringing his past into the present - gardener Jamie Marsh has fond memories of the ‘Samphire Man’

In his new weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, gardener Jamie Marsh takes a nostalgic look back at visits from the ‘Samphire Man’.

There are childhood memories that stay with you, not because they were extraordinary, but because they are rooted in your heart.

One of mine is the sound of a man’s voice calling down our street: “Samphire, samphire, long and green”. He came round each summer with a horse and cart, selling freshly picked samphire from the marshes. I remember him standing tall as he guided the cart, dressed smartly in a suit and tie, calling out with confidence and pride. The cart was pulled by Charlie, his horse.

While dad stepped out to buy a portion for tea, I was far more interested in Charlie. I’d reach up to stroke his neck. He never flinched, just stood quietly as though he knew how much it meant to a child.

Back then, I didn’t think much of it. It was just part of life in King’s Lynn, where I then lived. But looking back, I see how special those everyday moments were and how connected they made us feel to the land, the seasons and each other.

Imagine my surprise, while wandering through Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham recently, I spotted something I’d never seen for sale before: samphire plants.

I had to have them. They’re now growing happily in a large terracotta pot, filled with well-draining, gritty compost. Samphire, being a coastal plant, thrives on salty water, so each time I water them, I stir in a spoonful or two of salt to mimic the marshes. I flood the pot when I water it with the mixture, trying to recreate the tide coming along our beautiful coastline.

It’s a small ritual, but a meaningful one. Every time I tend to that pot, I hear that old cry in my head: “Samphire, samphire, long and green” and I smile, not just because I’m growing a rare and wonderful little plant, but because I’ve brought a piece of my past into the present.

Sometimes, gardening gives you more than flowers or food - it gives you the chance to grow a memory. I hope that’s brought some great memories back for you as well.

I wanted to talk about successional planting today. It’s really important when you’re growing vegetables, especially if you want to keep a good supply ready for harvest.

The ideal way to ensure a consistent supply is to have plug plants growing in the greenhouse or on a windowsill at different stages, but that’s easier said than done. After all, how do you know what you need? What’s going to get eaten by slugs and birds?

So if you’ve got space in the greenhouse or on the windowsill, just keep a few seedlings going, ready to fill the gaps when they appear. But don’t forget, we don’t have to grow everything from seed. We can buy plug plants.

There are many companies selling baby vegetable plants to make allotment gardening a much easier thing to enjoy. Have a look at garden centres and online, you’ll be amazed at what you can buy.

Remember the saying: “There’s no shame in the plug plant game.” Just because you haven’t grown it from seed doesn’t mean you haven’t grown it.

Email me at: jamieslittleallotment@gmail.com with any samphire man stories and your gardening tales.