Grow Your Own Health
How ‘Grow Your Own Health’ started
Sarah Andersen, a Sussex GP, and Julia Behrens, a medical herbalist and published author, have been friends for years. On a dog walk in winter 2021 lockdown they decided to share their love of gardening and growing with others who might not have grown food or medicinal plants before.
Sarah, the kind of GP who has been known to prescribe a dog or sea swimming, was hearing sad stories in clinic; many people were lonely, desperately missing friends, family, colleagues or their usual activities. Others were coming to terms with loss, and were wondering what the future held for them.
Julia has a lifelong passion for plants, and a deep understanding of how they can affect a person’s wellbeing. They decided to try to share their love of gardening and growing with others who might not have grown food, or medicinal plants, before.
Gardening has been shown to improve your mental and physical wellbeing. (Kings Fund Report, 2016) Connecting to your natural environment is good for you, and the planet.
Planting a seed is a hopeful thing to do. Even though we are living through uncertain times, if you can look after them they will grow and…
• You, and your neighbours, can enjoy the colourful flowers all summer
• You can eat the results; add them to a salad, liven up your dinner or decorate cake
• You can give them as a gift
• You can start a natural ‘first aid kit’ or make a DIY beauty product
• You can collect the seeds to begin again next Spring