I am in the process of planning my Spring garden at the moment. Spring has come a bit late this year, down on the South Coast. We've had a wet Winter and it’s only the last couple of days that I have really felt like Spring has arrived.

We’ve had clear, warm days. The fruit trees have blossoms and a sprinkling of leaves, the herbs that I planted before Winter have all doubled in size in the last week and my strawberry plants have got an abundant harvest in the making.

The other indicator that Spring is in the air are all the weeds, the garden is full of them! I’ve either pulled them out and put them in the compost bins, mulched them in with the spade or we’ve eaten them. Things like dandelion, chickweed, dock, thistle and nettle are edible and great used in salads or juices.

I’ve ordered some mulch to protect the trees and plants from the Summer heat. Mulch prevents the UV loss from the compost I put on the beds and it stops the water from evaporating from the soil. That means less watering, less stress to the plants and less weeding for me. Even the pots will get an inch or two of mulch on them.

Our main focus in the garden is to have plants that provide the majority of our food. Fruit trees; vines like passionfruit and youngberry; bushes like pepino, blueberry and tomatoes; vegetables and herbs. We’ve got a constant supply of things like lettuce, broccoli, celery, silver beet, rainbow chard and kale in the garden. I try to grow these greens near the back door for easy access to the kitchen.

It is immensely satisfying to wander around the garden with my basket gathering the ingredients of a meal for my family. The enzymes are intact for optimal digestion, it’s cheaper to grow your own, environmentally friendly and the taste of freshly picked food is far superior to supermarket fair. And it’s a pleasure.

In his book,

Last night we had a salad with cos lettuce, oak leaf lettuce, dandelion, parsley, beetroot leaves, celery, peas, perennial onion grass and the juice of a lemon - all picked fresh from the garden. I have known each plant since it was a seed. I have watered it, weeded around it, fed it compost, mulched it, picked snails and caterpillars off it and touched it in gratitude as I pick it’s leaves or fruit.

I have become a part of it’s Life Cycle and a part of the greater rhythm of Nature. “Alienated from nature, human existence becomes a void, the wellspring of life and spiritual growth gone utterly dry. Man grows ever more ill and weary in the midst of his curious civilisation that is but a struggle over a tiny bit of time and space” writes Masanobu Fukuoka in The Natural Way of Farming.

And as I prepare the salad for my family, I know I am giving them the best nutrition that I can. A meal high in essential vitamins and minerals.

I went through my seed stock this morning, so I know if I need to order anything. I generally get my seeds from places like Diggers, The Seed Savers Network or The Lost Seed Company, who have open-pollinated and heirloom varieties.

October is time to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, corn, capsicums, climbing beans, onions, garlic and herbs like basil, oregano, rocket and coriander. I am also going to try some I haven’t grown before like chioggia beetroot, purple carrots, zebra tomatoes, banana rockmelon and lemon cucumber.

I encourage you to plant something new this Spring. If you aren’t a gardener, try a pot with some cherry tomatoes or salad greens or grow some climbing beans up your fence. If you are a gardener, try a new plant that is suitable to your area.

It’s rewarding, a good environmental choice, positive for your health and a pleasure. You’ll enjoy sharing the fruits of your labours with your friends too.