“Grow what we eat and eat what we grow” has always been the too-hot little number in your closet that you absolutely adore but are too shy to wear. You’re a goodie so there’s no reasonable excuse as to why you refuse to flaunt this absolutely gorgeous piece of haute couture. In Jamaica’s case, amidst the global pandemic and our high import bill, the mantra “grow what we eat and eat what we grow” is once again a hot number…but will we wear it?

Many of us have been making a sterling effort, even before the onset of COVID-19.

In our backyards.

Mommy and me

As a fan and good customer of Unusual Plants and Creations Nursery I have always been somewhat familiar with its bromeliads and succulents. However, upon this visit, we ended up leaving the nursery and somehow sauntered into Sabrina Reynolds’s nearby backyard garden. Moments later, we were joined by her beautiful toddler, Risann, who is chief backyard gardener and proud of her handiwork, and who didn’t waste time and immediately started showing off her little farm. It was a beautiful experience to watch the flourishing mother-daughter interact.

Reynolds’s reasons why

Reynolds recently started her backyard garden for three main reasons.

Firstly, she was trying to cut her grocery bill. Risann, no different from her peers, is a little foodie. The almost three-year-old has a hearty appetite and enjoys her veggies. Especially the expensive ones. She would never turn down broccoli, kale or strawberries and can demolish a full cob of corn without batting an eyelid. Very quickly, Reynolds decided that to ease up on her pocket it would be best to plant a healthy backyard garden for her healthy eater. The garden was started almost two months ago and already the mother-daughter duo has started eating its produce.

Secondly, like the Unlikely Gardener, Reynolds planted everything that she would use to cook and season her pot, to include herbs. Not only has she found that it is extremely convenient to have your own herbs at home for that burst of flavour for any and every meal but she also found that “quarantine cooking” has inspired her to whip up more creative dishes. In her words she has “started to indulge in more exotic dishes” and it’s best to have a fresh cut of the key ingredients.

Reynolds’s third reason and backyard garden joy has been being able to see the happiness that her daughter experiences as she learns the rudiments of agriculture — sowing and reaping. Risann gets extremely excited watching her mummy cut pak choi and other produce. The toddler’s first gleeful garden reaping experience was picking and eating one single strawberry which cemented in Reynolds’s mind that she wanted to create several similar memories for her child to carry with her through life.

The mother and daughter duo started with a very small vegetable patch. Once the results of their labour starting coming to fruition, Reynolds decided to dig up almost all of the grass from her back lawn to expand the garden project. The transformation took place in stages and the plants grew from tiny seedlings to tasty edibles. She now has more vegetables than she will ever consume in a sitting and has been kind enough to share her vegetable wealth with her friends and family. Reynolds’s experience confirms that “it’s a good feeling to eat what you grow and grow what you eat” and, like most veggie growers, wonders why she didn’t start earlier.

Backyard gardening tips from Sabrina Reynolds

There’s no one better to get backyard gardening tips from than the Unusual Plants Creations nursery owner. Reynolds advises that it’s very important to have a good amended soil base when starting a fab vegetable garden. Ensuring that the soil is optimal is one of the first steps on your backyard gardening journey.

So, which soil is the right soil? Reynolds says: “A loose soil base that allows water to seep into the roots of the plants as well as organic matter, for example, mulch, manure, rotted leaves or compost which could have come from your kitchen table scraps, is key to soil enrichment.”

If you went to prep or primary school on the Rock, then you know that one of the handiest lessons was learning about composting as opposed to many things that were a part of the Common Entrance or GSAT curriculum. Let’s give a round of applause to the Ministry of Education for instilling that lesson.

With regard to watering, Reynolds advises that watering when the soil is dry is important and that rainwater is best.

Insects, bugs and pests will always be the backyard gardener’s nightmare but Reynolds advises that there are various techniques to keep the insects at bay. She recommends using cut grass to lay and cover the ground beneath the vegetables. Another trick is to use mulch or compost to keep the plants cool and moist. She says that planting marigolds and escallions around some of the pest-prone plants help to ward off pests. Like anything else, where additional info may be needed, YouTube and Google are her go-to’s for pest control blends utilising basic things from the kitchen. If all of that is too time-consuming, then of course she suggests popping into your local garden store for a quick fix.

For plants, just like people, Reynolds advises that “finding out the special needs of each crop is important”. Additionally, one must make a well-considered garden plan to ensure that the plant will agree with where it’s being planted. You must know what the plant require;, for example, shade, semi-shade or full sun. She also says that “planting things that are compatible is also key”.

Teach dem

“Teaching kids how to feed themselves and how to live in a community responsibly is the centre of an education.” Alice Waters

Reynolds’s father, a professional farmer, passed these lessons on to Reynolds. Today, Reynolds is passing the lessons that she learned from her father about subsistence and sustenance on to lher daughter who will one day pass these beautiful and integral lessons on to her children.

The truth is, the only way to ensure that Jamaica will one day be food-sufficient is by promoting and practising intergenerational learning nationwide. It is time that we do what we say that we are going to do if we truly intend to cut that US$900 million import bill.

Let’s get planting, innovating and promoting self-sufficiency… one backyard garden at a time!