A couple of months ago Elsie and I signed up to become a member of the Buddina Community Garden, and started leasing a garden patch! It’s the best money Elsie and I have spend since we got a cat! Within days of the start of our lease we went to Bunnings to buy some seeds, and to clear out the majority of the stuff that was in our patch from the previous lessees. We kept some Thai basil, chives, violets and marigolds — which are meant to deter insects — and we planted some zucchini, cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, bergamot, lettuce, and spring onions.
Within a week we saw results! The zucchini especially came up really quick. With our limited gardening knowledge however, little did we know that we planted way too many zucchini and tomato seeds! After maybe 2 weeks we realised that zucchini grows very quickly, and very big! We had about 10 plants within the space of 2 square meters, and it was taking over the rest of the garden!
So unfortunately we had to get rid of some Zucchini and Tomato (they were everywhere!). Since then we have attended some meetings at the garden about gardening, for some tips and tricks, and advise on where to get good seeds and seedlings! We went home with some more basil seeds another member had saved from her patch and planted it in some pots we have since bought! They also gave us some kale seedlings that are doing excellent in the garden bed at the moment. We’ve also been to the markets on Fisherman’s Road in Maroochydore and bought some rhubarb and Thai chilli seedlings for in the garden bed, and some parsley seedlings for at home.
Today we have an awesome thriving garden bed, and we are finally seeing some cherry tomatoes and zucchinis starting to grow! We can probably start eating our own produce in the next 2 weeks! Ever since leasing the garden bed, we’ve been buying more and more pots and planting more and more seeds and seedlings! It is an incredibly satisfying feeling to see something you put in the ground sprout and grow bigger and bigger and eventually start producing its goods!
By Koen Ruijgrok – Study Sunshine Coast Student Ambassador
