Recently, Wingham nursery held a scarecrow competition. It was aimed at giving families a challenge, whilst tackling the boredom of lock down through the Covid 19 epidemic.
It went from being a competition conducted all online, to a real-life show and tell, with scarecrows exhibited throughout the nursery.
It certainly was great to hear the stories of parents and their children having great fun, brainstorming their scarecrow and then working together in the construction of their project.
Many parents thanked Wingham nursery for coming up with the idea, while others thanked us for reminding them that there’s a great deal of fun being missed out on while we all have our faces glued to our phone screens.
Overall, we at the nursery have met so many new customers and their families recently, as they negotiated the realm of planting a new food garden. Some had years of experience, while others were walking the road less travelled for the very first time. Some were nervous to begin with, but in just a few weeks, we have seen them gain more and more confidence as they begin to see results from their hours of toil.
The coming weeks should see many a suburban block harvesting heads of broccoli, spinach and beetroot. We’re thinking that there might be some more fun in the kitchen as these people find ways to enjoy their home grown produce! MasterChef watch out!
Although the last few months have been a scary road to travel, I think we’d all agree that there has been a lot of positive outcomes from our lockdown.
You only have to look at the reduction in worldwide pollution, both in the atmosphere and in our oceans to see what can be achieved if we really try to make a difference.
I know from talking with our customers who have begun to harvest their own vegetables, how amazed they are by the level of flavour in their home grown produce. Just how large a real head of broccoli can grow, and that they can continue harvesting them for many more weeks. I’m guessing they’ll fall in love with their freshly picked peas, and how they usually don’t reach the house or the cooking pot before the kids munch them up!
It’s crazy to think that growing home-grown vegetables hasn’t been done on such a large scale since I was a child. I remember we always had fresh vegetables and how I hated having to peel them and get them ready for our dinner every day after school, if it was my turn. Or collect the eggs and feed the chooks every afternoon!
What I grizzled about at the time, has now become trendy and the smart way to live. Many people in the city would kill to have the time and energy to grow vegetables if they could.
There isn’t anything sweeter than picking your own carrots or cutting that first head of cabbage. Just wait till they dig their first potato crop and realise that a fresh potato is just as crispy as a fresh apple!
Yes, it’s been said already, the simplest things in life are free!
Tanya Sawyer.
Wingham Nursery & Florist
0265534570