Young boys urged to take up farming
Published:Monday | August 2, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Laura Redpath, Senior Gleaner Writer
Three friends who spent the past two nights sleeping among their plants at the Denbigh Showground in Clarendon are convinced that young boys should be encouraged to go into farming or horticulture.
Randy Craddock, 27, started Randy's Plant World, assisted by two others, Jermaine Harrison and Christopher Jarrett. All three Jack's Hill, St Andrew, residents are friends with fathers and a grandfather who are farmers and who encouraged them to learn the art of sowing and reaping.
Harrison, who sat on the pile of foam on which the three friends would be camping out, said boys should be encouraged to go into agriculture, as it opens the door to independence.
"The best thing you can do is work for yourself," he said.
Jarrett agreed, adding, "You can't take away that foundation."
Craddock loves gardening now but disliked plants when he was younger. Following his grandfather's advice, he gave gardening a try at 20 years old.
"I started off with 10 plants," he said, with a smile. "Now, I have hundreds and people are calling me from all over the place.
"I really love it now."
Craddock said the learning curve was a challenge at first but he got how-to gardening books and settled down for what turned out to be a lot of work.
His lessons paid off and now Craddock spends most of his time gardening.
The horticulturists sell flowering plants including, but not limited to roses, anthuriums and begonias, which they also note are plants that any beginner could take on.
"Without flowers, your yard not smiling," Jarrett said.
Aside from plants and flowers, they also specialise in fruits and vegetables.
Crops which they supply to the local market include soursop, bananas and sugar cane.
"People don't really come to buy fruits and vegetables. They come to buy plants and flowers. We sell the crops to market vendors," Harrison said.