By Alesha Capone
Monika Sharma says she loves to share her gardening ideas and tips with others.
Mrs Sharma said she became a keen gardener after moving to Tarneit 13 years ago, when there were not many trees in the area.
During lockdown, Mrs Sharma, her husband Vineet and their family have been spending a lot of time in the garden.
“The benefits of our garden are wholesome – increasing physical and mental health and wellbeing,” Mrs Sharma said.
“We make our own compost to reduce food waste and create enriching soil for the plants to bloom in.”
Their garden – which is organic and pesticide-free – features an old child’s wooden safety gate as a bean climbing frame, log stools, a birdbath and painted curtain rods repurposed as hanging fence planters.
Mrs Sharma said that in lockdown, her neighbours and other community members have taken to video-calling her for garden advice.
Mrs Sharma is also a member of Wyndham council’s Seed Library, which allows residents to harvest and share seeds and cuttings, and a devoted viewer of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia program.
Details: www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/seedlibrary
