WHEN Colin Smith opened his first shop in Gloucester Road in 1969, there were 15 other greengrocers in Ross. When the Market Garden closes for the last time this Christmas, it will mark the end of the 'greengrocer' in the town. It is a sad day. Shops like the Market Garden are a dying breed – bursting with good, honest, local produce and always the opportunity to stop, pull up a stool and chat.

Born on Howle Hill, Colin went to Walford School, where he used to buy and swap birds eggs – pigeons, magpies – "until it was outlawed in 1954!" He was among just 400 pupils at John Kyrle and it was there that he was taken under the wing of teacher Mr Kirkham, in charge of the school garden, sparking an interest that quickly showed green shoots and would last all of his professional life.

Colin's first job after leaving school at 15 was as garden boy at Hazelhurst House in Bishopswood for an elderly Mrs Hann. Much to the chagrin of her besuited chauffeur, who didn't like, "a grubby little garden boy in the back of the car," Colin would accompany her in the back of the Sunbeam Talbot to nurseries looking at plants for her garden. "I learnt a lot from her," said Colin. She was a keen artist, in the winter Colin would dig out the winter iris and bring them to her in the studio to paint. And from the head gardener, William Thorne, he learnt to pollinate the peaches with a rabbit tail. Why? "Because they were fine and fluffy."

At 17 Colin moved on to John Williams' nurseries in Llangrove, from whom Colin received: "a tremendous schooling in retail value." He was handed a hessian sack and a shovel for one of his first jobs there and instructed to go into a field and pick up the sheep droppings, to be used for fertilizer. Another task was painting flowers ready to send to Hereford's butter market on a Friday morning. "You'd dip them in solvent," said Colin, "to hold the colour in and you'd have a bucket of yellow dye, pink, red or blue, and dip them in."

When he was 21, he opened his first greengrocer shop, the Market Garden, in Gloucester Road, vying for business with the many other greengrocers. He fought strongly against the one way system in the town and is proud to have been a 'thorn in the Council's side' over the issue. Eventually the business moved to its present site at the bottom of broad street and, despite dire warnings about trade, his turn over went up. His many loyal customers will miss the warm welcome of the Market Garden. Colin, and his wife Margaret, are looking forward to their retirement. They won't just be putting there feet up however. Colin will continue his interest in collecting toys and tending the 2,000 bulbs in his greenhouse. For Ross, it is the end of an era.