Self Sufficiency and starting a veggie garden..

I have had a passion for cooking since I was a young kid; always wanting to experiment with different flavours, ingredients and spices. I think it comes down to the "Typical Aussie" meals and lack of nutrition from the meat and 2 veg that was fed to me during adolescence.. however I was always grateful for the food - thanks Mum.

Through working on a farm for several years and learning how to grow my own food I decided to create my own garden at home and grow the herbs, spices and vegetables that I loved so much.

I thought the task would be difficult, labour intensive and time consuming, it was anything but that. To start my garden, I planted; Chillis, Rosemary, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Corriander, Cucumber, Chives, Tomato, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Rocket, Mix Lettuce, Corn, Spring Onion, Onion, Garlic, Ginger and a few other vegetables.

The area needed to grow this amount of food was only approx 6m x 6m only and the time took to complete the garden was only a few hours. All I did was dig a 10cm deep, 6m x 6m section out of the lawn and filled it with compost, potting mix and any other scraps and nutritious soil and fed it with a bit of water and organic fertiliser. Then, simply put in the seeds and plants and it was done.

All that has to be done after this is water it a couple of times a week and watch the thing grow. It's amazing how much one seed can produce.

There's a kind of ruggered independence and pride in creating your own source of food. It's rewarding, peaceful and above all the produce tastes 100x better than any chemically sprayed, hydroponic, over priced food available. Organically produced veggies can be up to 200% more nutritious than that found at your local Woolworths.

There is a million and one reasons why trying to be self sufficient is a good idea. Who knows, we might have to be in ten years time.

We've forgotten how beautiful plants can be and it's a joy that you don't have to pay for.

I want a kind of personal autonomy and to be at least 75% self sufficient in the food I consume.

I think one of the reasons I love it so much is that while I have a natural desire to progress and move forward, I still have a deep love for nature. It's another small outlet to get back to nature, in the midst of the hustle and bustle.