THE son of a market gardener, Peter Bellini-Williams grew up with an eight-acre vegetable garden in his backyard.
The smell of blood and bone and chicken manure was a staple of his childhood, as was the joy of seeing things grow.
He said the beauty of home-grown produce was that it enabled people to gain back control over their food.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWIt also taught an important lesson: nature is beautifully imperfect.
“Vegetables can still look gnarly and taste good and the strive for visually perfect food has a dark side, such as massive food wastage and pressure on farmers,” Bellini-Williams said.
“Growing your own food can also impact the way you cook.
“Lots of leafy greens are so easy to prepare – you will never know how much better fresh vegetables taste until you pick and prepare them yourself.”
Bellini-Williams recently launched Little Home Grown, the first Perth-based company offering easy, customised, grow-your-own vegetable gardens to homes in the northern and western suburbs.
“I will go to your home and install, plant and maintain your raised garden beds, as well as the entire front and/or backyard if needed, so all you need to do is water, harvest and enjoy,” he said.
“My goal is to teach people that it’s not that hard to maintain a little veggie patch: it takes consistency to maintain any sized garden bed and without that, the little issues can become big issues.”
The business is ideal for busy parents who would love to spend hours in the garden with their children but have limited time.
It also provides a chance for parents to learn about veggies while teaching youngsters.
“A year ago I was at my dad’s property where a young family was renting,” Bellini-Williams said.
“Dad had chickens at the time and the children were absolutely gobsmacked that eggs came from chickens.
“Learning about the origin of food as well as seasonal growing is being overlooked in a generation of children who think that food originates from the shelves of the supermarket chains.”
Bellini-Williams can also maintain entire front and/or backyards.
For details, visit pete@littlehomegrown.com.
Top short crops to plant now and enjoy in 4-7 weeks
1. Baby leaf spinach
2. Lettuce
3. Rocket
4. Asian greens
Top longer term crops to plant now and enjoy during summer
1. Eggplant
2. Tomatoes
3. Capsicum
4. Pumpkin
5. Corn
