We had a fairly neglected back garden, covered with lawn, and I happily sacrificed half of it to our new mission. Hubby dusted off his high school woodworking skills to build a dig-proof fence to curb our two dogs. Garden-building materials were a non-essential item in early lockdown, so we scrounged whatever scraps of hardware we could find: old jungle gym timbers, fascia boards, wooden pallets, old netting and,bricks. We saved the seeds from most of our veggies and planted them in cut-off cooldrink bottles. Our enthusiasm grew as
the first butternut and tomato seeds started to sprout. There is something magical in watching life grow from a seed. Like anxious parents we noted each baby plant’s birth date, each milestone in their growth. The excavation of the garden was hard work. It was a labour of love and a journey of exploration. We had an overall plan but we tackled it section by section as we could access more resources. There is plenty of information available online which we devoured. We were approaching winter and learnt the hard way not to plant seeds out of season. We 1 6
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ABOVE: We dug up half our lawn and fenced in the space with scrap timber and netting to protect it from our dogs. We also created a little deck where we could enjoy our morning coffee. BELOW LEFT: We dried crown pumpkin seeds and planted them, along with a sprouting potato in a container. BELOW RIGHT: Sprouting potatoes and sweetcorn in a raised bed.
also planted far too many seeds, until we learnt about succession planting. We were learning to plant not just for the lark of it but to embrace the idea of growing our own food. We harvested the first produce. What a moment. I’d never tasted fresh peas, only frozen. Lettuce straight out of the ground. The sweetest baby carrots. I know we still have much to learn, as we grow with our garden. I’ve learnt where to set up a garden – in a sunny spot O C T / N O V
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and one easily accessible. Consider the available space – if you don’t have much, plant in containers. Label and date what you plant and keep a notebook so that you can track when your veggies are ready to be harvested. Plant what you and your family eat. We planted what we thought would have real impact on our grocery budget. Don’t be afraid of getting your hands and knees dirty. And have fun!
