Extra time at home spurred an SGA subscriber to become a newbie sustainable gardener by starting her own veggie garden.  Amy Esdaile tells us of her experience.

” When I wake up in the mornings, I first check out my window. Has the sun risen? Does it appear windy? Signs of rain from last night? I check the weather for the day ahead of me and I do so because I have become very attached to my growing garden.

My first gardening endeavour was when I noticed sprigs of thyme had been left in the fridge for long enough and I had yet to use them in any dishes. I decided to stick some in the ground. Upon searching for information for growing Thyme off the SGA website, I knew it was relatively low-maintenance and I figured, I’d see if it would grow. My thyme is flourishing.

I loved heading out into the backyard to see how the thyme was doing and I endeavoured to try and create a good bed of soil following many tips I’d collected from a book I’d purchased called The Edible Garden by Paul West (from River Cottage Australia).

I’ve since grown sprouts in a jar, popped some carrots in the ground (that had started sprouting roots in the fridge) and have some strawberry punnets full of potting mix developing seedlings on windowsills.

Watching my plants puts a grin on my face, has helped me conquer fears of creepy crawlies and has given me the rewarding purpose of watching something I’ve nurtured and fed, rise up from the soil and grow, continuing to discover new potentials every day.

Gardening is a process, and during COVID-19, I am thankful for it. I would have found getting out of bed significantly harder to achieve without the help of my watering can and gardening gloves.”

Thank you, Amy, for sharing how some simple gardening task can lift our spirits as well as provide something edible.