Mat and Kate moved into their home last year and set about planting their own vege garden.
“I’ve heaps of happy memories of watching and helping mum and dad out in the garden, so thought I’d give it a go” says Mat.
Now it’s become a hobby and a passion for him, even if Kate says she can only take credit for picking and eating what’s grown!
“The main problem getting started is you feel like you don’t know anything,” says Mat. “But good gardening books can get you over that, and garden centre staff can be very helpful when you’re starting out.”
There are some initial costs involved in getting a garden up and running – tools, plants and fertiliser. Luckily for Mat and Kate the raised beds were already in place when they moved in.
Mat says they know they will save money in the long run.
“You can save your own seeds and start making your own compost and fertiliser. I swap seeds and cuttings or borrow tools off a mate, so it becomes quite sustainable.”
Mat and Kate had some initial problems with weeds introduced through the grass clippings in their compost. They largely fixed that by making the compost hotter through mulching over it with newspaper, manure and seaweed.
A garden can take a lot of time but Mat says it really depends on how ambitious you are and what you want to grow.
“Tomatoes need a bit of maintenance, but carrots and broccoli you can leave to their own devices, pretty much.”
Apart from savings on their weekly grocery bill through growing many of their own veges, Mat and Kate also enjoy the taste and convenience of their own fresh food, and sharing it with friends.
“Its great when you can just nip out to the garden and grab some fresh veges to throw in your dinner,” says Kate. “There’s just something really satisfying about growing and eating your own veges or being able to pick flowers from your own garden.
And our mates said our strawberries were the best they had ever eaten!”
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