03 Magazine: September 01, 2023

52 Magazine | Feature
BARRIER
Lack of knowledge.
DISCOVERY
Consider this: If gardening is so hard, then how is it that
so many people do it?
The best way to learn is simply by doing. Through trial
and error, you will rapidly gather relevant information
as you grow. It’s true, too, that with gardening comes
new connections and resources that may not have been
obvious before. You don’t have to learn how to garden in
isolation – ask family, friends and neighbours for advice.
Staff at garden centres trip over themselves to assist
new gardeners!
Type in the most basic of your questions online and
be rewarded with free resources provided by gardeners
the world over. YouTube, social media, websites and the
library allow you to dip your toe into gardening as a
beginner without investing too much time or money.
And remember that you have a partner in growing –
Mother Nature. She takes care of most of it – you just
need to learn the bare basics to get her started.
BARRIER
Lack of time.
DISCOVERY
Gardening absolutely takes time. From preparing beds to
starting seeds, transplanting and weeding, your garden
also needs time to grow. While there is no instant
gratification here, the enforced patience seems to have a
magnetic appeal once you experience a successful result.
On reflection, the time spent in your garden is
actually the point of it all. Ten minutes spent weeding or
deadheading is ten minutes of self-care. Stolen moments
of fresh air and your hands in the earth will change your
life for the better. By all accounts, spending time working
in the garden with children can also be a calming family
activity.
Most importantly, your garden doesn’t need you to
tend to it daily! Plants want to grow and don’t need
supervision. If life leads you away for a while, you’ll find
that your garden is much more forgiving than you realise
and getting it back on track isn’t always the mammoth,
painful job you imagine.