What started as a humble vegetable garden....The final installment

After three and a half years of looking into the backyard and dreaming of a fully functioning vegetable garden today it finally became a reality.

It has been a labour of love for our little family and everyone has had a role to play, even Alfie who took on the position of "foreman" sitting in his walker watching over proceedings.

There were one or two dramas along the way including a power line being taken down by a tip truck who delivered our soil. But I guess that is all part of the fun and what memories are made of.

My husband Adam or master builder as we like to call him has been so dedicated chipping away, single handily constructing the raised vegetable garden made of concrete sleepers.

Today was quite special as we were able to complete the final task of planting our seedlings which we will enjoy nurturing and watching grow...

One of the main reasons we decided to invest in such a big project was because we wanted our children to grow up in an environment that enables free play, spontaneous learning and that which would have long term benefits on their health. We feel that this humble vegetable garden will be a great addition to their daily lives for the following reasons

• Planting seeds and watching them grow will help them learn about the growth process, the environment, the food they eat and have an influence on their future health.
• Weeding, watering and taking out the food scraps to the compost will provide opportunities for learning, ownership and responsibility
• This garden has already provided many opportunities to work together as a family and create special memories and we look forward to creating many more

So here is a list of what we have planted and look forward to harvesting in due course;
Lettuce, snow peas, broad beans, carrots, leeks, spring onions, garlic, buck choy, silver beet, celery, parsnip, cabbage, lemon grass, coriander, rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, brussel sprouts, chick peas.

Have you planted your autumn vegetable garden? What tips and tricks do you do to keep out the snails?

X Grace