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I have two memories of any sort of vegetable garden as a child, the first as a real youngster. I was afraid of venturing to the back of the garden where my father had his old greenhouse and veggie patch – I’m sure he got a few tomatoes one year. The second as a teenager at my family's home in the U.K., where maybe two years consecutively there appeared greatly oversized cabbages in the back of the garden. This was in a space which dad referred to as his vegetable garden, and my mother referred to as ‘dad’s spot." And it was his spot--we never really went there.

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At this time I suppose I didn’t understand the wider concept of the vegetable garden. To some it exists as a hobby, an escape from the day-to-day madness of it all, and perhaps I fit into this category a little myself. To others, however, it provides an inexpensive, environmentally friendly alternative to the mass-produced goods many of us purchase from the big chain supermarkets on a weekly-basis. Who can blame us for buying produce at the grocery store, shipped from far away? It’s convenient, and there’s always more choice. But let’s take a look at the benefits of a vegetable garden: tastier food that you can pick and enjoy, the excitement and anticipation of watching it grow, the health benefits of knowing exactly where your food is coming from and, of course, the savings you make on your weekly shop. On top of all that, a functioning vegetable garden also does a great deal of good for the environment. 

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Now, I have my own personal relationship with my vegetable garden, and I can’t deny that all the talk about a carbon tax has influenced it. Some food for thought: A homemade vegetable garden allows you to grow fruits and vegetables naturally, without the aid of pesticides or fossil-fuel fertilizers. The vegetables grow because of photosynthesis, using real solar energy from the sun, as opposed to fossil-fuel energy – which is how many of those big, delicious, perfect-looking fruit and veggies in the supermarket are grown. Some figures show that fossil fuels are responsible for up to 95 percent of the world’s total energy consumption. Looking at that percentage I wonder, is the carbon tax really so bad after all? It also makes me love my vegetable garden just that little bit more.

A vegetable garden also thrives on nutrient-rich soil, so it’s a great way to reduce household waste by maintaining a corresponding compost. I like the idea that I’m not just throwing out food all the time, and that there’s somewhere else useful for it to go. Of course, I still buy some things from the supermarket.  You can’t grow everything all year round, unfortunately – at least, not if it’s grown naturally. But I also try and buy fruit and vegetables from local stores, where more produce is locally grown. It tastes better, and it’s also less likely to have been sprayed and packed to make it last longer.

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As time progresses, we are constantly reminded about the decay of our planet, the rapidly increasing amount of waste resulting from man-made products, and the years of wasted energy caused by man’s unstoppable use of precious resources, some of which will soon be lost forever. One response to the issues surrounding this has been the development and growth of a group in society who are often referred to as environmentalists, but some refer to them in more derogatory terms, such as ‘greenies’ or ‘tree-huggers’. This portion of society has become so big there are even groups within it now, and even groups within those groups. Some people would not specifically refer to themselves as environmentalists, but do support similar issues and share similar values. For some, such values might affect what clothes they buy or the shops they buy from; for others it might mean building an entirely eco-friendly house to live in or be as simple as having a vegetable garden.

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My partner is really the gardener at home, and between us we combine both the hobby and the taste benefits of a vegetable garden. He likes to get away from the madness of it all, and I love to eat the handpicked goods, so it works really well for both of us. As we come into winter here in Australia, we’re starting to wonder how our winter vegetables will grow. I’m also looking back on the goods that our summer garden brought us, and beginning to think about what we’ll do differently next year. 

After my first real relationship with a vegetable garden, I know I’ll never look back.