“Anyone can do this,” Ms Harrison said.

The second chance gardener

By Lucia Jimenez

In the neat rows of social housing in New Farm, one modest home stands apart, its fence framing the extraordinary, decade-long garden of Kerrie Harrison.

Ms Harrison’s garden is more to her than just food – it is her therapy, her hard work and her way of connecting to the earth.

“Some days, the whole day is just lost in the garden,” Ms Harrison said.

The garden at her house was just dirt when she arrived 10 years ago, but with her drive to make her new place not just a house, but a home, she got to work creating.

“I’m just making my home as pretty as I can with what I’ve got,” she said.

Her garden is also her way of connecting with the community around her, and she loves when people stop to chat and so she can share her produce with others.

Having battled cancer for a decade, Ms Harrison became very aware of the potential health effects of the produce she was buying at chain grocery stores and decided to grow her own.

Some of her gardening tips are: knowing where your sun is, observation is key, and give all plants a second chance from the compost.

Recently Ms Harrison has been struggling to do the hard labour necessities of the garden and is looking for a helper in the area that she can also share her produce with when she travels.

If you are interested, send Ms Harrison an email: spareroom@hotmail.com.