Whenever Suzanne (pictured above) potters in her southern suburbs garden, she thinks of her late father.
“My garden is a heartfelt nod to my dad and my childhood shadowing him as he went about his weekends outside,” Suzanne says.
“We could always find him in our large garden digging in the rich soil, picking fruits, tending to his seasonal vegetable crops or chickens or tinkering away quietly in his shed.”
The City of Marion resident says she started her garden from scratch, putting into practice all the skills she had learnt from her dad.
Those skills have paid off, with her garden recognised in the 2024 Grow It Local Awards, taking out the ‘Why I love my patch’ category, which was judged by Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis.
“Suzanne shared that incredible bond between family and patch, memory and action, mentor and example,” Costa says.
Suzanne says the elements of her garden have changed many times, from “free-ranging chickens, rabbits and a larger-than-life rooster to a hive of mud pie making activities with three children collection eggs and raising baby chickens”.
“With growing produce, it has had its successes and failures every season," she says.
“It has also held its quiet times, tears, grief and comforted sadness with its ability to also grow and give hope.”
Suzanne says she loves her patch not just for its tangible aspects, but mostly because of how it feels.
“It’s ability to make time stand still, to evoke a memory and to weave a little bit of magic around all who visit it,” she says.
Grow It Local is program supported by Green Adelaide to help more South Australian’s grow, share and eat locally grown food. Grow It Local provides educational resources about food gardening, as well as access to workshops and live sessions with experts like Costa (Gardening Australia) and Paul West (River Cottage Australia).
The Grow It Local Awards, which are supported by Green Adelaide, celebrate creativity and fun in food gardening. There are eight categories including ‘Wonkiest vegetable’ and ‘Best compost’.
Suzanne celebrated the win with a cup of tea in her winning patch and a cheer to her beloved dad. She also won a gardening prize pack, a 12-month subscription to Grow It Local’s Seed Service and national bragging rights.
SA also featured in the 2023 lineup of winners, with Sasha from Adelaide winning ‘Australia’s best chicken name’ for her chicken Meryl Cheep, with a notable mention to Meryl’s siblings Hilary Fluff and Hennifer Aniston (pictured left).
For more information, visit Grow It Local.
