Hi, my name is 
The new #hivegardenqotw is out and I'm really looking forward to finding out more about you all. Even those I've known for years here - I bet I'll find out more than I realised!
I've just moved from a temperate climate to a warm temperate climate, in Victoria, Australia, down on the coast south of Melbourne. I've moved from five acres about half an hour inland from the coast to a suburban block just one kilometre from the sea - so my whole gardening life is changing. I'm excited to bring everything I've learnt to a smaller space and see how much food I can grow there.
I was talking to Mum the other day about my first plant I grew when I moved out of home - it was one of her thymes from her extensive herb garden, because I loved to cook and she'd got me enthused about medicinal plants that were also culinary. From there I had a little garden in whatever rental I lived in, and just got addicted. I do think my German Nana had a lot to do with it too - she was a green thumb and as a kid I had vivid memories of things in her garden like a giant monstera in the courtyard, parsley she'd throw in kartoffelpuffer, and a giant apricot tree she'd make compote out of for the freezer. I feel like the 'seed' so to speak was planted when I was young - the idea you could grow food and cook it yourself was just really cool. Now I'm in my mid 50's and I can't imagine not gardening. I think it's a really creative thing to do, making something beautiful, but also very practical given the cost of living, plus you get better quality food. It's also an act of resistance to me - when the world forces you to buy, buy, buy, I double down and grow and make!
It'd be cool to make a living from this hobby, but I think I just love connecting to people through gardening - it's quite a community thing to do. I like to give away extra produce to family and neighbours - to me it's an act of connection and love.
It's hard to say what my favourite type of gardening is - definitely growing fruit and vegetables. But I also love a native garden that attracts native birds and really love Australian flowers like grevillea and banksia. There's just such a wild variety of them - Jamie has to stop me buying more grevillea at the garden centre. I also was super sucked into growing mushrooms at one stage and I even love succulents for their architectural shape and ability to handle dry conditions - and there is such a variety!
Lately I've also appreciated flowers, such as irises. A garden has to be as beautiful as it is practical. And the flowers of kale, coriander or fennel are just as pretty to me as an iris! I love the suprise of a flower, too, and the hope it brings - plus, many are medicinal as well! They end up in teas and salads often!
I do love my herbs, but these days I grow the essentials that I know are useful for the plate as well as my health and the health of the garden rather than grow all of them like I used to, just because. Sage, for example, soaked in vinegar for a sore throat, or chamomile for tea, and absolutely borage and comfrey for the pollinating insects and the compost.
The biggest lesson I've learnt on my garden journey is that good soil is everything. This is what makes food taste good and what keeps disease at bay. To have good soil you need a range of nutrients and you have to cover it. It's pretty simple really, although maybe I just think that because I've been doing it long enough. I'm always attending to compost and compost teas and mulching - it's like brushing my teeth. I'm having to work harder at the new place as the soil is super sandy and we've just made raised beds, so it'll take a while to bring everything up to speed. It's hard to be patient, but I'm super excited about transforming this bare backyard to something magical and wonderful.
That's it from me - I hope you join in this week's introduce yourself challenge - then there's a new writing prompt every Saturday if you get stuck for something to write. Have fun, and happy gardening!
With Love,
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