more than a garden.

By Sally Barton, Communications Officer

I’ve always loved being outside. Even as a little kid, there was something special about being active in the sunshine and spending time in nature. These days, I still feel the same way. I love being outdoors, slowing down and watching something grow.

We’re very fortunate to spend time at my partner’s grandparents’ farm. It’s a beautiful place, surrounded by nature, open space and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

Recently, his grandmother sadly passed away. She was an incredible gardener who devoted so much time and care to her garden. It was a reflection of her love and dedication, and remains a place filled with many special memories for the family.

After she passed, we wanted to bring her garden beds back to life. It felt like a small way to honour her and continue something that had brought her so much joy.

So, we set ourselves a mission: restore the garden beds and fill them with colourful fruit and veggies.

It was certainly more work than we first imagined! We started by manually hoeing and preparing the beds, with plenty of moments when we wondered how we had gotten ourselves into such a big project.

But as we worked, the project became less about the hard work and more about the time we were sharing. Slowly, the garden began to transform, and with it came a sense of connection to the person who had cared for it before us.

Every time we’re out there, we’re reminded of her and the care she put into creating such a beautiful space. Now, we get to add a little piece of our own story to it too.

One of the most special parts of the project has been doing it together.

Gardening has a way of slowing things down. You’re outside, working with your hands, having conversations and enjoying the little moments along the way.

For us, the garden has become about much more than growing food. It’s a way to spend time together, enjoy the outdoors and carry forward something that meant so much to my partner’s grandmother.

There’s something beautiful about planting something new in a place that already holds so many memories. We’re creating something of our own while also keeping a little piece of what came before us alive.

So far, we’ve planted potatoes, beans, lettuce, zucchini and plenty more. And now, we’re starting to see the first little signs of growth!

There’s something incredibly exciting about seeing those first shoots appear after planting the seeds and knowing that, with a little time, care and patience, they’ll continue to grow into something we can eventually enjoy.

We can’t wait to see how the garden develops and, eventually, harvest the food we’ve grown together. For now, we’re enjoying watching those little seedlings emerge and seeing all our hard work slowly come to life.

Stay tuned for the harvest!