Let’s get one thing straight. I have been personally responsible for killing every single household pot plant within a 10 metre radius. So to have dreams to ‘grow your own’ veges presents a very interesting mash of want versus capability.
So to boldly announce over dinner, whilst eating yet another bagged lettuce salad, that not only could we save money but it would be fresher and more fun than stopping at the supermarket, the challenge was set: not to buy vegetables for a year.
Opps. I could have downgraded that challenge and suggested “why don’t we grow radishes in cotton wool on the window sill”, but no. The words had tumbled from my over-zealous lips and were witnessed by the family. No going back.
The kids were pretty excited. I think they misunderstood the challenge. We would still EAT vegetables, but would grow rather than buy.
So how does one grow enough vegetables to feed a family-of-five for a year?
- One probably needs a garden, prepared and ready to grow. There lies problem number one. We didn’t have one.
- One needs seeds. Oh, yes. The challenge was to grow vegetables from seeds — no cheating and buying seedlings from the plant shop.
And what make-ith a vege garden, anyway?
They come in different shapes and sizes. A few memorable gardens spring to mind:
- My sister gave me a wonderful Christmas present a few years back: lettuces in a terracotta planter. It was no grander than a regular pot plant but sat strategically close to my kitchen and was amazing to pick as many leaves as needed from a growing thing without killing it.
- I have a chilli plant, still in the plastic pot it was purchased in, sat on my balcony – colourful, a steady supply of heat through the winter and too many to consume, fun to giveaway to unassuming visitors.
- Rotorua’s Government Gardens have garden planters skirting the bowling greens overflowing with parsley. A nice surprise (they must make plenty of egg sandwiches on club day, noted). The beauty of them planted in bulk was pretty inspiring, alternative and tasty.
- As a child we had a vege patch surrounded by 6-foot wire fencing to stop the wallabies getting in (growing up on Kawau Island). While I can’t recall specific crops, I do recall having fresh food on my plate every day. There were lots of veges. Lots.
So what would ours look like? Ahhh, deciding is the fun part.
I set about to Rediscover the Good Life.
