What made you and your family start growing food?
My husband thought it was really important our little girl understood where food comes from. He was talking about tomatoes one day and she said “tomatoes come from the shops”. He said “tomatoes actually get grown on a vine from the ground”. That day, he took her to the plant store and he bought seeds and explained how seeds germinate and produces food we eat.
From there, he started with a small batch of pumpkin, tomatoes and cucumber. Our garden must be in a sunny vibrant area with productive soil, as the little patch they planted as father and daughter (such a fun experience for both of them) was thriving!
What made you join in the fun?
I realised that I really enjoyed looking after those plants and cultivating them. I started reflecting on how valuable that lesson was for my daughter and how important it is for her to understand how to look after something and see it grow. I know nothing about gardening and nothing about looking after an edible garden or soil or planting. I am an absolute beginner. That was a fun experience and a bonding experience with my husband, who has a horticulture background.
I took my daughter to the plant store and we planted a number of edible plants. Now our garden has expanded. We planted a lemon tree, a range of herbs and vegetables.
What do you like about gardening?
It’s kind of addictive because you end up seeing the benefits and the fruits of your produce and how handy it is when cooking dinner to just get to pop outside and pick them.
Are there other benefits to growing edible foods with a child?
It’s such a great sensory experience for my daughter, to take her out there and pick something and smell it and feel different textures. We like mixing herbs into different foods to see how that affects the flavour.
As a family, it’s been such a positive experience, because we do it as a family unit. My daughter gets her watering can and helps with the gardening or mulching and it’s a chance to talk to her about how we nurture something.
My daughter was a big part of it to start, but now I just feel so fulfilled. It’s such a reward that you created something. I love putting a basket together and sharing it with family and friends. Everyone loves getting a bag of different herbs or a basket full of vegetables from your garden. That has also been really nice.
What do you enjoy growing most and why?
I’m looking forward to the raspberries fruiting, as they were one of the only plants my mum used to grow. She used to make raspberry jam every summer. We used to have endless jars of raspberry jam. I loved having soda bread with butter and jam in the morning. They are also frighteningly expensive in the shops, so that will be a big money saver.
Knowing it is organic feels good. How nice is it to take a strawberry or tomato straight off the plant.
What advice would you give others looking to start edible gardening?
Start small. If you go get too many plants and they crowd each other, there might be less success.
See if you like it. It’s so rewarding when it does pay off.
Don’t underestimate the knowledge and sharing at plant stores. I feel like if I’d consulted with a staff member they would have explained how to spread them out or about the sunlight they need or if they need netting etc.
Is gardening important to you and your family?
100%. We take for granted how much food our grandparents grew themselves because they had to. I have fond memories of making gooseberry jam with my grandmother or getting potatoes from her garden – having those enriching relationships and that special time together.
How can gardening help the next generation?
It’s vital for environmental sustainability for children to understand how to grow food and look after the environment. If you don’t nurture that, it may not survive. My husband supports my values in that as well, in terms of how valuable it is for my child to grow those skills.
Does gardening help you keep connected to your Irish heritage here in Australia?
It’s funny that you ask because parsnips are really expensive to buy here, yet affordable in Ireland. Every Irish child will tell you they grew up on mashed carrot and parsnip as a baby and then all through your childhood. It was an easy vegetable to grow. I’ve been thinking about how to grow parsnip next, though I’ve heard it is harder to grow here. It would connect to my childhood memories and, of course, I want my child to try foods that are really connected to Ireland.
How has gardening impacted your daughter’s relationship with food?
It has opened her to new sensory experiences. In the garden, she loves picking something up and just trying it there and then. There’s no pressure on her to try anything. She just loves the experience.
How does gardening prevent food waste in your household?
You only use what you need. Sometimes you open a bag of lettuce from the supermarket and a few days go by and it’s all wilted. What a waste! I love being able to pick the lettuce I need. Same with the tomatoes. It’s handy to go out and have them freely available but they don’t go off if I don’t pick them here and then. Nothing goes to waste. At one point our zucchinis were out of control so I was able to share them with family and friends, so nothing ever went to waste.
Any advice for those thinking of starting a veggie patch?
Just give it a go, if you’ve thought about it. It might instil something in you didn’t know you was in there – a sense of joy and connection to nature.
-By Alexis Letters-Haydock 🌱
Food from Home 