Real Health podcast: Growing your own food with GIY's Michael Kelly

Thu 24 Nov 2022 at 06:00

Being mindful about what we eat brings lots of health benefits and knowing where our food comes from is a big part of that. But have you ever considered growing your own food?

While it might seem like a daunting thing to take up, my guest this week I’m sure will change your mind.

I’m joined by the founder of GIY, Michael Kelly, whose new book, The GIY Diaries, A Year of Growing and Cooking, will help you learn how to create a space at home that gives you fresh, wholesome fruit and veg, which Michael says tastes better than any you can find in the shops.

“When you taste this food you realise it tastes different to some of the veg you’d buy. I’ve always been curious about why [that is]. It’s peak freshness...so you're accessing veg that is bursting with nutrition. We know scientifically that vegetables change when you take them off the plant, they begin to die. I can always taste the lifeforce in food now.”

There are some veg that Michael suggests are a good starting point for complete beginners, like beetroot or salad leaves. It’s important to make sure you have good quality soil, and using a raised bed is a good way to do that.

We also discuss how growing your own food can be as good for the mind as well as the body. “I get a real kick out of seed sowing itself because it’s a very mindful activity. It gets you out of your head and into your hands... Even 20 years later I still get a buzz from seeing a little seedling come out of the soil”, Michael says.