Growing gardens since 1985
Garden Barber began in Hertford in 1985 when Steven was age 17. At age 13, Steven worked every Saturday and Sunday at a growing nursery owned by a school friend's father, earning money doing piecework – paid a penny a pot for potting bedding plants and putting them out onto the benches.
"I grew up with two very different gardens – one belonged to my parents, the other belonged to my grandparents. Actually, that's not strictly true. Both properties belonged to the local council. I was lucky enough to grow up on a council estate."
During his primary school years, Steven travelled a lot with his father and by age 9 had visited Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. His best memories are of the many weeks spent with his father travelling through the rugged landscapes of Norway with its mountains, fjords and wild rivers.
