Words Tabatha Golat, Editorial Director
I have never considered myself a gardener. In fact, I’ve spent years insisting I don’t want plants to look after. Then, this summer, a neighbour gave me three plants: zucchini, cucumber and pepper. I accepted them, intending to pawn them off on my sister. Instead, I brought them home and got curious. I started looking up best practices, repotting, adding soil and plant food, and watching YouTube videos about powdery mildew. I’m admittedly no Martha Stewart, but somewhere along the way I really started to care.
Every morning, I’d let Toby out for his “business,” then shuffle outside in my slippers to see what had grown overnight. The plants seemed to stretch a little farther toward the sky every day. As an avid zucchini lover and Saturday farmers market shopper, seeing those zucchini spring to life was thrilling. It was such a small scale version of growing food, but it changed how I saw the work behind my usual market haul. I’ve always appreciated our farmers, but tending my three pots made the time and energy involved feel more tangible. It gave me more gratitude for the hardworking people who do this on a larger scale.
It’s made me think about how much work we don’t see behind the things we enjoy, including the local businesses featured in this month’s issue. On page 12, Building the Exceptional looks at the thought and care woven into the experiences we return to, while on page 10, Carmel Graham’s journey from a Facebook post to film hairstyling shows how a career can grow through skill, relationships and persistence. We often enjoy the finished product without seeing what it took to make it flourish.
That’s what I’ll remember most about my little garden. Not that I grew a few vegetables, but that I got to see the work behind something I usually take for granted. And tomorrow morning, I’ll still be in my pajamas, checking to see what grew overnight.
Clothing provided and styled by Sidney Pier & Path. Shot on location at Heritage Acres with props from Michell’s Farm.
Photo Janis Jean
