All year round our greenhouse keeps our household protected and in comfort. It serves multiple functions: a place for drying clothes all year round. A pocket of warm air to heat the passive areas of our house such as the lounge room and bathroom. It’s where I propagate my cuttings and where sowed seeds in trays are placed. A place for growing and harvesting all year round.

This raised bed sits in front of our bathroom window. On the other side of the glass is our bath tub looking out onto lemongrass and brussel sprouts.

In this raised bed nettles grow. They are a wild edible that has made its home in this bed. I am extremely happy with it because it’s life cycle perfectly suits my needs. While I wait for the brassica to grow, I get to harvest fresh soft nettle leaves for our lunch and dinner. I simply confidently hold onto the nettle head and cut just below the top leaves. I have added these lush green leaves to risottos, stews and pasta dishes.

It never fails to make me feel really good, this cycle of germination. Every year sowing and planting is an exercise in hope. I have two steel racks above one of the greenhouse beds. All the water from the seeds above, feeds the plants below.