With a short growing season and weather extremes, it’s easy to be put off when it comes to digging in. From thankless sub-zero temperatures in Winter to the unforgiving heat of Summer, it’s also easy to see why not starting gardening is the best way to quit.

We’ve seen it all here in Erlton – golfball-sized hail, biblical floods, tornado-warnings, dust storms and smoke from wildfires hundreds of kilometres away. However, it always continues to surprise me of how our gardens bounces back.

One of my saving graces is that I’m situated well above the flood plain but certainly not immuned to it’s effects – when the power (and the bridge) is out, there’s no grocery store run.

The wind and hail have proven to be the most damaging. Our greenhouse, house and established trees on my neighbour’s property offer some relief and protection. But again, the garden always bounces back.

After four years of wondering what will the weather bring next, I’ve finally learnt to take it in my stride. Choosing crops that are thicker skinned than myself has been one successful tactic – root vegetables stay snug in the ground (whereas pears go a-flying).

Nature has a way of keeping itself in check and if it’s human companions are there to help then there’s no reason not to see rewards on your plate – the grocery store certainly won’t invest in hail-damaged produce but more often than not, it tastes just the same.