Marcelle Nankervis is a Horticulturist who has worked in the Horticultural Media for over 16 years.
She is passionate about Permaculture, Sustainability and Gardening for the Future.

Marcelle regularly writes for Your Garden magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.
Her first book was Plants for Australian Dry Gardens (Murdoch Books).
Marcelle's second is Smart Gardening (Exisle Publishing).

Welcome to my Blog!

As a horticultural writer I often come across people, stories, tips, tricks and real gems of information that never really make their way out of my notebook. I am hoping to share a few of these insights here as well as my own gardening experiences, which includes getting my children excited about plants.

I believe that a strong connection with the garden and our landscape when we are young is vital. I am hoping that educating my children in "Green Living" and "Smart Gardening" will provide them with the fundamental building blocks necessary for them to live long and healthy lives, while also doing their bit in helping to create a sustainable and green future for all.

Happy Gardening!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardens Program

Stephanie Alexander is not just a wonderful chef, she is also a great supporter of educating children about growing their own produce. The Kitchen Garden Foundation is her Australian schools project where children between Grades 3-6 are encouraged to develop a productive garden. The grow the vegetables, harvest them and then cook and eat them.

"The aim of the Kitchen Garden Program is pleasurable food education for young children. The underlying belief is that by introducing this holistic approach we have a chance to positively influence children’s food choices in ways that have not been tried before.
A Kitchen Garden is created to provide edible, aromatic and beautiful resources for a kitchen. The creation and care of a Kitchen Garden teaches children about the natural world, about its beauty and how to care for it, how best to use the resources we have, and an appreciation for how easy it is to bring joy and well being into one’s life through growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh, seasonal produce."

I first heard Stephanie talk about this at the 2009 Landscape Conference in Melbourne and I was really impressed by her enthusiasm for the project.

Since then I have driven past several schools boasting the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardens logo. 

The more we encourage our children to grow their own food as well as cooking wonderful, fresh, healthy food, the better the legacy we leave behind.

For more information on the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardens Program visit the link below.

http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/