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Dee Pignéguy says a combination of Covid-19 lockdowns, the cost of living and recent floods has turned gardening from being seen as a ‘nice to have’, into a practical way to survive when times are tough.
The term coined for this is ‘survival gardening’. It is focused on growing edible plants, preserving the harvest and sharing produce with others to provide a secure food supply.
Should supply lines to supermarkets be severely disrupted, a climate or other emergency affect the community, or the costs of fresh food become unaffordable, growing your own can be a lifeline, Dee says.
The gardener, author (and Hibiscus Matters columnist) had to put on more of her Survival Gardening workshops recently after the first ones quickly filled up.
“Here, and around the world, many people are waking up to the need to be more responsible for their own safety, health and ability to feed themselves,” she says.
Dee takes the workshops in her own gardens in Manly, showing people practical skills and also discussing the soil improvement, planning and planting required to provide a steady supply of seasonal produce.
“This is what my grandparents and parents did – it’s not new,” Dee says. “But uncertain times have drawn people back to those old skills. When I started out, I didn’t call it ‘survival gardening’ – I just used to grow as much as I could and hardly ever had to go to the shops.”
She says you don’t need a large backyard to grow your own food, and that preserving produce, sharing, bartering and community gardens are all part of the picture.
“It’s about setting up a green infrastructure,” she says.
For more information about Dee’s Survival Gardening courses, or to book, email gardenerdee@gmail.com or visit www.feedmeright.co.nz
