Growing your own food

PLANT SEEDS AND GROW YOURSELF A SECURE FOOD FUTURE.

One of the most satisfying and enriching ways to feed yourself is to grow your own food. It brings an understanding of the environment, the seasons and the life cycle of food that is hard to find elsewhere. Gardening is a fun, productive outdoor activity, which can help with stress and anxiety, while providing cheap, tasty and nutritious food that has a minimal impact on the environment. Edible gardens can be planted anywhere from a balcony or backyard, to your local community garden or on your office rooftop – and help you connect to other growers in your community. In times of crisis, growing your own also sures up food security, making you less reliant on supermarkets and retailers. With a vast food growing community and perfect seasonality for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs – the Illawarra is the perfect place to get growing.

• The Illawarra is home to over 14 community gardens that anyone can join.
• With a temperate climate, fertile soils as well as an average annual rainfall of around 1429 mm (compared to a national average of 419 mm) – The Illawarra is an ideal region for vegetable growing.
• Gardening reduces stress and anxiety, and improves mood and self-esteem.