Herb garden in progress

I have wanted a herb garden for so long! Unfortunately we have a small garden and a traditional, as I view it, herb garden is not possible so I have had to improvise.

I bought some plants and seeds and started them growing in small pots. They have now started to get big enough to pot on.

I got my grandchildren to help, they painted some pots for me and a jolly good job they did too. My young grandson got a dibber and made holes in some soil in a long trough and we repotted some herbs into that. He tucked the soil round them and then told everyone they had to be quiet as the bubbas were asleep! We have quite a few small baby plants as he calls them in the garden and he won't let people forget they are there. The paintings here are done by the older two grandchildren.

I wanted to grow lettuce too so my husband bought some guttering which we filled with soil and added the lettuce plants and fitted it at an angle to allow for drainage.

I might not have the fanciest garden but I am happy. I have sage, tarragon, basil, thyme, lemon verbona, parsley, chives, rosemary and some others. Gradually I am building up the variety and I look forward to using them in cooking, teas and as medicinal herbs too.

I think getting the children involved is good as they learn such a lot about where foods come from if they have access to a garden. My children did as children and my younger daughter did her Brownie Guide badge in gardening through having a patch of her own.

It is sad that children think all food comes from a supermarket even in this day and age. Luckily the three grandchildren we have here in France live in a very rural community and they are aware of where food comes from. I know my other two grandchildren in the UK will also grow up knowing too, it is just sad that some children don't have the experiences that teach them that food is grown, harvested, sold and then is taken to shops to sell.

I desperately want to eliminate artificial flavourings and preservatives from my diet and growing my own food as much as possible, allowing for the small space we have. Buying fresh food to make meals from scratch goes a long way to knowing what you are putting in your body. Autoimmune diseases are horrid things and the food you eat, whilst not curing you, can help to eliminate some of the symptoms that are suffered.