Gardens: for Food or Fun?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?.

What is your Garden Goal?

Why do you want a garden? Is it to compliment the style of your home, show off to the neighbours, attract wildlife, shade you home, feed your family, help the environment…..?

For me, it was to feed my family and to help do my bit for the environment. But it also had to be appealing, be a place for relaxation and fit the space we had available. You need to decide what’s important for you and then go from there.

Things to take into consideration:

• Is your garden for entertaining or to give children or animals space to play?
• Is your garden a home food supply for you and your family?
• How much time do you want to spend maintaining your garden and how much time do you have available to maintain your garden?
• What size garden do you want and does it match the reality of what size garden you actually have?

There is no rule that says your garden has to provide your family with food or be filled with only native plants. Those in apartments won’t have the same space as someone in a house. You need to look at what works best for you and know that even planting a couple of pots with herbs or flowers is a start and is helping the environment.