My first substack post

an introduction

Hello. As this is my first substack post, it seems a good idea to introduce myself, and explain a bit about who I am and what I do.

I am a garden and food writer, educator, speaker and homesteader, specialising in how to grow edible plants year round in a natural, wildlife friendly and practical way, and what to do with the harvests: food, drinks, preserving, making home and body care, homemade apothecary, dyeing, country crafts and more. Skills to help save money and be more self sufficient.

All of my gardening uses organic permaculture no dig methods. I’m the author of two books, and my third will be published next year - the edits have just gone in (the publisher is Frances Lincoln) - and I have been writing for magazines for 15 years.

I’ve been growing plants since I was a little girl, and this developed into a passion for growing my own - starting small on windowsills and in pots in the tiny yard when my daughter was a baby. The birth of my second child coincided with a move to a small house with a garden about 28 years ago, and I started to grow more food year round, adding chickens and ducks to the mix. What I grew and foraged was an important part of our family budget, becoming more so when I became a single mum of three. By this time I also had an allotment so could grow more food.

Through trial and error (including a lot of mistakes and a few disasters!) I learned how to grow more each year. About 18 years ago this hobby became a job too, when I started working at a market garden. This led to work as a kitchen gardener, designer and consultant on private estates, for an international art gallery, restaurants, pubs, community gardens and also work as an educator, teaching growing and homesteading skills.

Four years ago I moved from Somerset to rural Wales, where I am setting up a small homestead on about half an acre in Ceredigion - on my own, on a tight budget and whilst also working full time :-)

I share what’s happening here at the homestead on my social media and also on my You Tube channel.

Why am I writing on Substack?

I’ve been wanting to write a newsletter for some time, and after exploring various options decided that Substack is ideal. I like the idea of community, of not writing completely in isolation as one might be just having a newsletter linked to a website.


What will the newsletter include?

My plan is to write a regular newsletter including what is happening here at the homestead (seasonal advice, tnews), edible gardening advice, sharing homesteading skills, recipes, projects, thrifty frugal tips - part sharing skills and advice, part as if we were sitting having a chat. Anything I should add?

I’ll also be including updates and information about what is coming up: blog posts, events I am speaking at, courses here at the homestead, that kind of thing.

The newsletter will be linked to my website which I am currently updating.

As this is my first post, I am just figuring my way around Substack and I hope to make the newsletter look a lot more beautiful, once I have learned the skills to do that.