Take pride in the little things

In a world of instant gratification, there’s a miraculous joy to be found in growing something slowly all by yourself, with your own two hands, rather than grabbing it, cellophanewrapped, from the supermarket.

Take my first successful courgette plant: from the first day I planted him, through the following weeks of watering, feeding, watching and finally seeing him begin to produce little bright yellow courgettes and flowers, all the way through to my triumphant first harvest and cook-up – courgette flowers fried in gossamer-thin batter, courgettes finely sliced and lightly pickled alongside a tuna salad. It was a lifechanging route to everyday wellbeing.

Start with small spaces

You don’t have to have a garden to experience the benefits of gardening. From a sunny windowsill to a sorry excuse for a balcony, the positive effects of opening the window, hearing the birds, and watching something grow – even if it’s just a tiny pot of sage – are open to everyone. In fact, herbs are the perfect place to start: they’re as happy to grow indoors on a sunny windowsill as they are out in the fresh air.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, there’s something gloriously liberating about totally and utterly fudging up! In a society that asks us to be brilliant at every single thing we touch (no wonder we’re so frazzled), nature, it seems, has other ideas.

Expect to kill a few things! Even your best-laid and researched plans can be scuppered by freak weather, unexpected insect attacks, or the damn squirrel. Remember that discovering how to grow is a lifelong learning curve, and making mistakes can be a strangely uplifting experience.

Encourage butterflies into your garden by filling a jar with flowers and adding a ball of cotton wool soaked in sugar and water. Kids will love to help you with this!