One of the main reasons people don’t try things for themselves is because: a) they don’t think they will suceed, and b) they feel intimidated because there is always someone who knows more than they do and has been doing it forever. I have always been held back from trying new things for these reasons.

Growing my own veggies only started about three years ago. Fresh off the plane from the UK, I was amazed by the amount of available space. England is crammed with over 60 million people, where growing veggies is done on a rented allotment rather than in the back garden due to its small dimensions.

My wife and I bought a house with a fairly small backyard and I built a makeshift veggie patch. I had grand designs of becoming self-sufficient and growing enough food for the neighbourhood etc etc. Off I went to the nursery, bought packets of seeds, went home threw them in the ground, watered them and waited… and waited… and waited. Nothing happened. I was devastated; I couldn’t even grow a seedling. What a failure I was!

Thankfully I am married to a wonderful woman who is always encouraging, always full of good ideas and knows what it takes to get me going again. As a result I bought and tried established seedlings. I had much greater success with these and by the end of our first season we had a crop of corn, broccoli and silverbeet. I was satisfied, but not content. I wanted to grow my veggies from seed, not already established seedlings, but every time I tried they never germinated. When I look back, it was because I either drowned them, buried them too deep or used the wrong potting mix (99 per cent of success is due to soil quality).

I persisted and managed to grow corn, beans and beetroot from seed. Larger seeds are easier to grow because they are stronger and hardier than varieties with tiny little seeds, like carrots and onions, which can easily be drowned or buried too deep. (Following the instructions on the packet really helps!)

Last December we moved onto a 600 square metre block. It backs onto a beautiful reserve and the garden has the richest, most vibrant soil. There are fruit trees and two veggie patches, as well as potato patches and six laying chickens.

Everything was going so well. The ideas for my business were coming together, I was having increasing success at growing seeds and my own patches were taking off. I decided to invest in a greenhouse. After picking it up I impatiently erected it with Joh’s help. Ties and stakes came with the greenhouse to secure it. We decided we didn’t need them and anyway they were a potential safety hazard for our two-year-old son to trip over (or pull off). The greenhouse was quickly filled with beautiful healthy seedlings. I would come home every night and water the plants (in the dark), waiting impatiently for the weekend so I could really see their progress.

One Friday night a storm came. It was so big that I slept through it! However, my greenhouse didn’t. It was torn up, ripped to shreds and the frame broken into unfixable pieces. This was my first major financial loss and a huge kick to my confidence. I managed to salvage most of the seedlings, which I quickly planted in my own beds. They are now healthy plants and will soon be ready for harvesting.

When you start growing your own produce expect a few failings, but as you will learn nothing beats the rush of harvesting your own produce and all the hard is appreciated so much more upon the eating!