GROW YOUR OWN
Whether it’s tending windowsill herbs or growing a full-on veg garden, nurturing edible plants is also a way to nurture yourself. Here’s how to get started
WORDS BY LAURA POTTER
Photographs Stocksy. Frances Tophill portrait by Rachel Warne
One of the more positive side effects of the pandemic was a general discovery of the joys of gardening. Research by the University of Surrey found that 60% of us visited our garden at least once a day during lockdown, that more frequent garden visits were associated with improved wellbeing, and 43% of us were gardening.Gardening was named the second most popular lockdown activity (after watching TV). And unlike some lockdown trends, it seems gardening is here to stay.
Frances Tophill, horticulturalist, agrees that tending to edible crops can have a profound impact. ‘With so much [still] going on it can feel overwhelming. Just doing repetitive tasks and focussing on something small can make everything feel more manageable. Then there are the health and taste benefits of eating plants you’ve grown yourself. It’s very satisfying,’ she says. Whatever your space and ability, here are Frances’s tips on getting started.