Mat Pember from The Little Veggie Patch Co says winter is the perfect time to start a vegetable garden. Image: Supplied.

Since lockdown measures started, online nursery The Little Veggie Patch Co has been inundated with orders from those wanting to establish their own home vegetable gardens.

Founder Mat Pember isn’t surprised gardening has become everyone’s new favourite hobby. Not only is it a perfect slow-burn activity that lets people stretch their muscles and enjoy some much-needed mental stimulation, but it’s also an ideal winter task.

“A lot of people discount winter as a bit of a nothing season,” he says, “but in most parts of Australia, it’s actually a perfect time to grow things that would be considered spring or summer vegetables in the northern hemisphere.”

The key, he emphasises, is to “start small.”

Choose your vegetables wisely

Pember, who established The Little Veggie Patch Co back in 2008, is a self-taught gardener who has published six books on kitchen gardens, including the immensely popular Root and Bloom, which educates readers about the lesser-known but edible parts of a plant.

By Emily Tatti