In our latest Brightside edition, we catch up with Paul West to discuss his Bermagui lifestyle and share his advice for getting kids interested in gardening. 

Hi Paul, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live on the NSW Far South Coast in the best little village on earth Bermagui. I’m here with my wife and two boys (9 and 7), our old dog Digger (11), our older cat Newy (12), a stack of chooks, 10,000 bees, 100,000 compost worms and trillions of helpful microbes. Oh, and a rogue bandicoot that likes to excavate the veggie patch and eat the chook pellets. We grow food, we eat well, we swim in the ocean, and we love our community.

I wear a stack of different hats for work, broadcaster, author, and grappling coach, and I’m a co-founder and head of content and education for Grow it Local.

What are your tips to get the kids out into the garden?

Start from seed:

Gardening happens slowly; it can be pretty testing for kids’ patience at times, but everyone gets excited about the prospect of putting a tiny seed in the ground and waiting for those leaves to push up through the soil. Radishes are a great example; they kick to germinate, are quick to grow, and are quick to disappear into hungry little mouths!

Grow things they like to eat:

If you want your kids to eat veggies, grow a garden. No one wants to eat a plate of steamed cabbage at Nan’s house, but even the fussiest anti-veg grommet won’t be able to resist cherry tomatoes or snow peas straight from the garden.

Credit: @damienmilan_photographer

Let ’em go:

If you want kids to help in the patch, watering is a great place to start. As long as you’re not on tank water or we’re in the midst of a drought, let them run the show with what they water. You’ll probably have to water everything properly later, but at least this way, they’ll have a blast and feel like they’re helping; bonus points if you make it through without them watering you!

Get chooks:

I love chooks, kids love chooks, who doesn’t love chooks? Kids go nuts over running out to the coop and checking for bum nutz every morning. You don’t have to live on a farm to grow your own food!

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