“It feels like free therapy”

We’re excited to announce our grower of the month for this month, Farida . Farida started gardening during lockdown, and quickly got her children involved as well. Farida shared with us her gardening journey, her tips for other gardeners, and what a sustainable grower means to her. Read on to learn all about Farida’s gardening journey. 

How and when did you start gardening/growing? 

Until lockdown I was a serial house plant killer, but I found myself in lockdown with only the garden for amusement. I decided to grow some vegetables with the children. We were suddenly in a homeschool situation after all. What better way to teach science and mindfulness? We came into the garden everyday anticipating any changes and growth in the plants. Seeing them morph from seedlings to fruiting with tomatoes, strawberries and peppers conjured up such a feeling of satisfaction.There was something so rewarding about watching the plants thrive and playing a role in nurturing them. Ever since that first taste of that homegrown tomato I knew there was no turning back. 

How has your garden changed since you first started growing? 

I initially started with a container garden and now have an allotment to indulge all my vegetable and flower growing dreams. I would also have to say that my understanding of soil life, health and nutrition has changed massively and this has been most impactful on the yields I now get. 

What is your typical day like, when it comes to tending to your garden? 

The first thing I do when I arrive at my plot is set a timer and weed for 10 minutes. It was the best advice I got from a fellow allotmenteer. It really helps me to avoid the overwhelm. I am often surprised by what can be achieved in 10 minutes. Depending on the time of year I will harvest / prune or pot on. I often arrive with a to-do list in my head. 

What do you enjoy most about growing/gardening? 

It feels like free therapy. Even if it’s the middle of winter with not much growing, spending time in my garden working feels so meditative. My worries get put into perspective and I always leave the garden feeling tranquil. 

What tips would you offer to other gardeners/growers? / what tips would you offer for getting children involved in gardening? 

My top tip for getting children involved would be to try planting easy to grow food and have them be involved at every step. Strawberries, radishes and salad can be great choices. I recently grew peas with my son. He planted, labelled, watered and harvested. Every step of the way I lavished him with praise reminding him that he did this and that our family would be eating peas for dinner because he chose to grow some pea seeds. His pride and interest grew so much from that experience. He now calls himself a master gardener. We had other fun in the garden too looking for minibeasts and setting up bug hotels. All those positive associations mean he needs no convincing to get in the garden. 

What are some of the benefits of growing your own? 

The variety and intense flavour is unmatched. Until I grew my own I had only ever seen the same red tomatoes in the store. My mind was blown to see black, purple, orange and even green (when ripe) tomatoes. There are over 10000 varieties of tomato but we only ever see one type in the shop. When you grow your own the possibilities are not limited by shelf life and this opens up a new world of colours and taste. 

Have you used any coir-based products? 

Yes, coir is actually a really important component in my gardening arsenal. It was especially key in allowing water retention in my container garden. One season when I did not use coir I saw a difference in drought / hot weather resistance as the soil could not retain water as well. 

What are your thoughts on becoming a sustainable grower? 

I think if we all focused on learning to become a sustainable grower we as gardeners  / growers can make an incalculable difference to wildlife populations and the climate emergency. The UK’s gardens provide more space for nature than all the national nature reserves put together. Using our garden and gardening choices to preserve all important peat reserves, provide forage for wildlife and pollinators and a space to re-use what we would otherwise throw away can really impact the world as we know it and slow the decline of species populations.

Anything else you would like to share? 

I love the varieties of flavours that you can grow that you just can’t find in the shop. Things like fennel , coriander flowers and freshly formed seeds, sorrel and cucamelons. Even familiar items such as spring onions are much more intensely flavoured.