Photo: Matt Montgomery
I began to tentatively tinker without knowing what on earth I was doing. But it turned out that it didn’t really matter. What mattered was the process of what I was doing. I wanted to know more so I went on a few courses. I began writing about gardening. My knowledge and skills improved but what I loved was the same – when I was gardening I often became totally immersed in what I was doing: the cutting, the digging, the planting, the smell of the soil, the successes, the failures and then the glorious exhaustion and aching muscles at the end of the day. It made me happy.
The science of soil
New studies show that exposure to the beneficial bacteria in the soil boosts serotonin levels, which in turn is linked to immune response and mood. That same exposure to the soil is also shown to have reduced inflammation in the colon and additionally has a significant effect on your microbiome.
Finding your happy place
In a survey of their members, The International Allotment Society found that even though members tended allotments to provide fresh food for their families, over a quarter of members found that the main benefit was getting outside and socialising, enjoying the sense of being part of a community. Allotments are often located in heavily built up areas and housing estates. Their very existence raises biodiversity levels in inner cities and creates vital ‘green corridors’ which stop wildlife becoming trapped by impassable concrete.
Photo: Eco Warrior Princess
Empowering a road to recovery
Get back in touch with your spiritual side
In the absence of other cultural institutions that have bound us together historically, such as the church or civic duty, people are increasingly looking at ways to reconnect to themselves and nature. As Gifford says, “the simplest way is pushing a seed into a pot of soil and watching it grow. Being pulled away from the cadences of the natural world is not inevitable and can and should be reversed. There is much to be positive about”.
So fight the battle against feeling dislocated, isolated, bored, confused, lonely, tired or angry with dirty hands, dirty knees, lungfuls of air, sun on your back, rosy cheeks and a vase of sweet peas for summer.
Clemmie's tips on how to get growing
Deal with that dull patch
Create a 'green wall'
Visualise the season ahead
Photo: Kyle Ellefson
Shortcuts to sweet scents
You will need a small, sunny outside space like a front porch or patio and a large-ish pot (sweet peas have long tap roots), into which plunge about four or five bamboo canes. Tie these together at the top, so they are fanning out in a teepee shape and then again at intervals of about six inches all the way down (creating a sort of ladder for the plants to climb up). Make a long hole either side of each pole and place the plug plants into each one and firm in. They will slowly climb up your string and then erupt into the most fragrant, beautiful candy-coloured flowers you have ever seen.
The city veg box
Kitchen saviours
Lemon verbena makes delicious tea as well as mint – but plant mint in a separate pot because if you turn your back for five minutes, it has bullied everything else into submission and taken over. An unusual one is pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens), which has oval cream, and green variegated leaves and also is great in salads.
Nasturtiums, heartsease and borage have edible flowers – perfect for beautifying salads or drinks. Basil prefers to be grown inside on a sunny windowsill, as do chilli plants.
